ID-based Travelling in Sweden
In Sweden, the public transportation industry has transitioned from physical plastic cards where tickets are stored to digital tickets through apps. Despite this, some passengers, especially school students and those without mobile phones, still need alternatives. Many operators use ID chips that are linked to tickets in the central system, enabling travel without physical tickets. However, the challenge lies in the lack of a common standard, requiring investments for national coordination.
Read Samtrafiken's White Paper about ID-Based Travelling here
Summary of White Paper about ID-based Travelling in Sweden
In recent years, the public transportation industry in Sweden has begun phasing out the technology of storing travel rights (tickets) on chips in physical plastic cards. This technology is commonly being replaced with digital tickets delivered through a mobile phone app (smartphone). However, there is continued need for passengers to be able travel without relying on a mobile device. The primary use case in this context is school cards for students who are allocated travel rights in public transportation by the municipality. Additionally, there are other travellers who either cannot or choose not to use a mobile phone and download apps.
To address this without the need to store digital tickets on a card, many have chosen to use cards where the chip functions solely as a unique identifier (ID). Tickets are then linked to this ID in the central ticketing system. Consequently, tickets are not directly distributed to the traveller. When the traveller presents their ID to a validator or an inspection equipment these can, in communication with the back-end ticketing system, verify the presence of a valid ticket associated with this ID (or lack thereof).
These cards should not be confused with regular ID cards that currently have chips. Nor should they be confused with bank and credit cards, which also have chips. The 'IDs' referred to in this document carry only a unique identifier on a chip. The chip does not necessarily have to be placed in a plastic card; it can just as easily be integrated into a mobile device, a wristwatch, or similar wearable devices. This type of chip can also be implanted under the skin.
ID-based travelling has gained momentum in recent years as a complement to the increasingly prevalent mobile (app) tickets. Various actors in the industry have chosen two different standards for IDs, EMV Closed Loop/White Label, and BoB MTS7. These standards are not compatible with each other, making a straightforward coordination for ID-based travel at the national level challenging without a greater willingness to invest.
Nevertheless, if there is a strategic desire to address future products with ID-based travel, Samtrafiken has suggestions on how the standards can practically be used together.
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