SMS tickets introduced in Northern Jutland

Bus operator Nordjyllands Trafikselskab has successfully launched a sms ticket system for its entire region. The solution was up and running in less than 30 days, thanks to Unwire's new standard solution m-ticket which also allows NT personnel to set up new products and campaigns on the system. Promotion of the new services combined with a couple of quick campaign special offers have meant that residents in the area have adopted the new system in record time.

Catching a bus must be easy
Marketing Coordinator at Nordjyllands Trafikselskab, Gine Monrad Petersen, says: "We promoted the text ticket solution in a pretty untraditional way, on the premise that even a pensioner should be able to figure out how to use it. We actually hired our own team of pensioners and gave them thorough instructions on how to use the system before turning them loose on launch day to help at bus stops and stations. Apart from the massive press coverage we got, this novel approach also kick-started text ticket sales from the very first day!"

The promotion campaign also consisted of posters at bus stops, flyers at stations, in buses and trains and detailed instructions and price guide on NT's website. NT also collaborated with Unwire to develop a Help system, which only requires users to send a text to 1271 with the word HOW (in Danish). They receive an answer by text with a detailed explanation of how to buy a text ticket.

Home-made campaigns?
Petersen explains: "One of the advantages of m-Ticket is that we can quickly set up new products and campaigns, which is a simple, inexpensive way of supporting our sales efforts. For example, throughout December, we are offering tickets at DKK 30 for all Christmas night buses, regardless of the length of journey. All you have to do is text JUL to 1271. And it only took us 5 minutes to set up the new product in the system ourselves! Since then, we have launched other campaigns on behalf of our business associates, such as the Aalborg City Council, which offers free transport via text tickets to educational institutions on 'Education Day'.

During 2010, Nordjyllands Trafikselskab will also launch a mobile portal from which customers can obtain travel details. "We are very interested in getting a payment solution built in to the mobile portal so that our customers will have access to a cohesive service via their mobile," concludes Petersen.