Integrated ticketing enables a journey involving transfers within or between different modes of transportation using a single ticket that is valid for the entire journey. These modes include

buses A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

trains A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...

, subways, and

ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

, among others. The purpose of integrated ticketing is to promote

public transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

use by simplifying transitions between different modes and improving service efficiency. In many instances, integrated ticketing is facilitated through

electronic ticket An electronic ticket is a method of ticket entry, processing, and marketing for companies in the airline, railways and other transport and entertainment industries. Airline ticket E-tickets in the airline industry were devised in about 1994, an ...

ing technologies such as magnetic stripe cards,

smart cards A smart card (SC), chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card), is a card used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an Embedded system, embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip. Many smart ...

contactless smart card A contactless smart card is a contactless credential whose dimensions are credit card size. Its embedded integrated circuits can store (and sometimes process) data and communicate with a terminal via NFC. Commonplace uses include transit ticket ...

. Some smart card systems, such as

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

’s

Octopus card The Octopus card ( zh, t=, j=baat3 daat6 tung1, is a reusable Contactless payment, contactless stored value smart card for making Electronic money, electronic payments in online or offline systems in Hong Kong. Launched in September 1997 to ...

and

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

's Suica, are also used for payments beyond transportation, including goods and services. While electronic methods are prevalent, certain public transport systems still utilize paper tickets, which permit transfers within a specified area or, in some cases, allow unlimited travel during designated periods, as seen with the Transperth FamilyRider in Australia. Countries such as Switzerland have established national integrated ticketing systems that extend beyond transportation to include access to leisure destinations, museums, and other services. Other nations, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and Sweden, have implemented similar systems within major cities and metropolitan areas. The successful implementation of integrated ticketing requires extensive coordination and cooperation among public transport providers and technology suppliers. Political, technological, and project management challenges have contributed to significant delays in some projects. For example, the system in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

required a restart, and in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, the project faced substantial delays after its initiation in 2002, with the TFI Leap Card system launching in December 2011. Similarly, the process of replacing magnetic stripe cards with smart cards in Stockholm took several years, nearing completion after a project initiated in 2002.

Examples

Asia Pacific

Europe

North America

See also

References