Three-quarters of commuters who use public transportation say they believe electronic ticketing would make travel easier, and 92pc would welcome paperless travel, a new global survey by Accenture suggests.
The survey of 4,500 urban travellers in Brazil, France, Germany, South Korea, Spain, the UK and the US showed that about 90pc of respondents use public transportation on a regular basis, and they are willing to pay more for technology improvements.
The survey results also revealed that 52pc of respondents would be willing to pay at least 10pc more for travel if they were offered such technological enhancements, such as the ability to use a smartphone as a ticket while travelling, an app from transport providers, and/or a paperless travel option.
The attraction of paperless travel lies in time savings, as cited by 88pc of respondents.
Ninety-three per cent of respondents are interested in being able to purchase a single ticket for multiple modes of transportation. If a single ticket option were made available, 66pc of the travellers surveyed said they would use that option on a daily basis. In addition, 76pc of travellers believe a paperless system would encourage drivers to start using public transport.
“Consumer technology is driving a huge expectation for flexible travel – an expectation that transit agencies cannot afford to ignore,” said Philippe Guittat, global managing director of Accenture’s Transportation Practice.
“Travellers believe that price, technological change and consumer demand will drive the provision of paperless travel, and transport companies need to address developments in areas such as smartphone applications and social media strategy if they are to get ahead of the competition.”
Commuters image via Shutterstock
