German Rail System To Make Traveling Easier

The biggest problem about using public transportation in ANY country is ticketing and the Germans have it all worked out by introducing a technology-savvy way to travel. By using Deutsche Bahn’s NFC system, or also known to us as a QR Code system, Germans will soon have the ability to simply scan a QR code to check in and out of the train stations. The system will record and calculate the cost of these journey and bill their users at the end of every month. 

Deutsche Bahn believes that this touch-and-go system will relieve much of the trouble that the everyday traveler face on a daily basis. The company is said to be currently tightening up some issues and slowly rolling out the QR Code system which is set to be fully functionable and available right about November 2011. Right now, the company is trying to set up the ‘scanning points’ at more than three hundred and twenty train stations all around the country in an effort to make traveling via the train stations more efficient. 

Rolling out the plans wasn’t as easy as it was expected to be because the company’s been testing out the system since 2008; three years of testing and the company believes that they are ready to introduce it to the public. Many of the problems involved red tape and compatibility issues, we are guessing, because liaising with the authorities can be a slow-moving and a possibly painful process. 

The system is fantastic news for  iPhone, Blackberry and other compatible Android systems users because it was designed with the phones in mind. We are not sure if the Symbian platform is compatible. What is great about this new traveling option is that not only will the smart phone act as a ticket but there will be apps on the smart phone that users can use for location information, with the help of GPS. 

If the system works in Germany, we would like to see the same in busy cities like NYC where most people do not own cars and the working community relies heavily on public transportations like the subway. And we also like the idea of travel-first-pay-later idea. It simply makes more sense and is far more efficient that way. It would be even more amazing if there was an application that can be downloaded into one’s smart phone which gives information about the arrival of each train or bus and ETA at each destination which makes scheduling so much easier. 

According to reports, the system is already in place and in BETA mode. Once they get the full-on green light, everyone can ditch their tickets and small change and just travel light with their smart phones.