In Account Based ticketing systems, the passenger has only a code that identifies the person or the contract granting the right to travel. All data related to the account, travel ticket, and payment reside in the cloud. The central system also manages sales, validation, and control processes, as well as fraud prevention checks.
The object that hosts the identification code can have various forms: contactless smart card, paper ticket with pre-printed QR code, QR code displayed on a smartphone, or other. In any case, the intelligence always resides in the central system.
The system can be configured as pure Account Based or coexist with the traditional card-centric system, where the travel ticket resides in the object held by the user.
Moving the intelligence from peripheral devices to the central system reduces system costs and facilitates the introduction of new fare rules, thanks to the reduced or negligible impact of evolutionary changes on validators. For example, it becomes easier to introduce price cap policies and more generally best fare policies that free the user from the obligation to choose the fare in advance.
“Account Based also simplifies system openness, facilitating the activation of third-party sales channels, interoperability with complementary services and areas, and the creation of service packages (e.g. Park&Ride). The user can access all the services in the package with the same account and ID, and perhaps pay for them later.
Integrations between validators and the central system are simplified, increasing system modularity and, consequently, independence from individual peripheral device suppliers.”
