Integrated payment for mobility services

Summary

Elba Island suffers from a shortage of shops selling public transport tickets. As a result, customers had difficulty buying them and using PT services. This situation called for a measure focused on allowing residents and tourists to purchase bus tickets via SMS. This initiative aimed at encouraging people to increasingly use public transport in order to address and reduce the island’s congestion issues.

Implementing sustainable mobility

One of the reasons why local public transport is not used much on Elba Island is the lack of outlets selling PT tickets; thus, this project measure was designed to provide residents and tourists with the possibility to purchase bus tickets via SMS.

This initiative was carried out by the local PT operator CTT Nord as part of an agreement signed with the Municipalities of Portoferraio and Rio – it sought to enhance the quality of the PT service to better meet user needs and make it more attractive and accessible.

The agreement meant that CTT Nord was responsible for all aspects of measure implementation, from the planning process to making agreements with telephone companies and banking institutes.

Innovative aspects

The most innovative feature of this measure is the possibility to issue SMS ticket not for a fixed line or a number of journeys, but for the distance that customers would like to travel. Specifically, the tariff system was defined on the basis of journeys within 10km, 20km, 30km, and 40km of Portoferraio. thus covering trips in the urban area and further afield.

The SMS ticket systems for 10km and 20km are the most used in Elba and became operational in June 2017, while those for 30km and 40km started in July 2018.

Connection to other measures

This measure is connected with other actions, such as:

• the Elba SUMP, which highlights the importance of enhancing PT efficiency by adopting new mobility patterns during the tourist season;
• the activation of a tourist seasonal one-day or six-day ticket called “Elba Card”;
• the introduction of additional PT services during the peak tourist season;
• the use of the AVM “CELSO System”, developed by DESTINATIONS technical partner MemEx, to gain real-time information about the local PT services.
   

Outcomes

Positive collaboration with PT stakeholders
The new agreement with the local PT operator was key to develop new services and encourage more sustainable mobility patterns.

Improvement of PT services
The addition of the PT rides, the renewal of part of the fleet, the installation of new shelters, and new info-mobility tools improved the attractiveness of local PT services.

User satisfaction
User satisfaction with this service was confirmed by the increasing number of tickets purchased via SMS throughout the years.