N92_1848

BoB (standard for ticket distribution and ticket validation)

A common standard for regional public transport ticketing systems.

Introduction

The BoB standard is an open and voluntary standard that defines how public transport tickets can be distributed and validated. The purpose of the BoB standard is to facilitate the purchase and use of tickets combined across different transport regions and operators for passengers, while promoting interoperability and innovation within ticketing systems. The BoB standard primarily focuses on regional public transport. 

The standard has been jointly developed by the owners of Samtrafiken in Sweden AB, which includes Swedish public transport authorities and operators, both public and private. The first version of the standard was published in January 2017.

Governance 

The BoB standard is managed by Samtrafiken, which is responsible for developing and updating the BoB standard, as well as supporting its implementation and usage.  

The BoB standard is a living standard, meaning that it is continuously adapted to meet new needs and technologies. The change process is open and transparent, based on proposals and feedback from users of the BoB standard and other stakeholders. Within the management framework, there is a forum called BoB Tech where everyone is welcome to participate. This forum discusses proposed changes and the general usage of the standard. All changes to the BoB standard are decided by a Change Advisory Board (CAB), which consists of representatives from the owners of Samtrafiken, after undergoing a review period in BoB Tech. 

Funding

The management of the BoB standard is funded by the owners of Samtrafiken. 

Currently, the BoB standard is completely open and available for anyone to use. Samtrafiken also provides guidance and support for those who wish to implement or connect to the BoB standard, provided that this benefits the owners of Samtrafiken. 

If one intends to use the BoB standard in areas outside of Sweden, this is allowed. However, if support from Samtrafiken is needed and/or if participation in decision-making about changes is desired, this can be arranged through an agreement with Samtrafiken. As an organization, we aim to cover the costs of our operations. 

Dissemination

The BoB standard is currently implemented and used in all public transport regions in Sweden, such as SL, Västtrafik, Skånetrafiken, UL, and Östgötatrafiken, among others. The standard is used in a number of in house developed ticketing systems by our owners, but it has also been implemented by several ticketing system providers such as Ridango, Fara, Infospread and Atron. 

The BoB standard is also of interest to other countries and regions that want to create a unified and customer-friendly ticketing system for public transport. There is already a BoB ticketing system in place with Strætó on Iceland. Samtrafiken collaborates with international organizations and networks to spread knowledge and experience about the BoB standard, as well as to contribute to the development of global standards and solutions.

Architecture and documentation

For those interested in more details about BoB, follow the link for more information:

BoB (standard for ticket distribution and ticket validation)

Contact

Johan Hammar

Johan Hammar

Product manager

Send me an email

+4672-719 93 30