Cellphone penetration in the local market and the advent of digital vouchers should make it easy for Gauteng transport MEC Ignatius Jacobs to have an e-ticketing system that allows commuters to seamlessly use public transport.
This could include taxis, trains, the Gautrain and perhaps the mooted monorail link between Soweto and the Johannesburg CBD.
Jacobs again spoke of this ambition in his budget vote this week. While he did not elaborate on the technology, some say cellphone-based MMS is a cheap and ubiquitous solution.
"MMS is a multimedia-rich medium combining graphics, text, sound and mobility, making it ideal for bar-coded tickets, vouchers or redeemable coupons which can be sent to someone's cellphone and redeemed at a retail store," says Multimedia Solutions operations director Riaan Groenewald.
The benefits of digital vouchers are obvious, he adds. These include the fact that it is stored on the commuter's cellphone and, therefore, is more difficult to lose, damage or misplace than the e-voucher's paper cousin. If the phone is stolen, technology can allow for the ticket's re-issue. Standard bar code scanners also encounter no problems reading the bar code off the cellphone's screen.
"The benefit of MMS is that it's instant. A bar code can be generated by a ticketing or voucher system and can immediately be sent to the customer," Groenewald says. "The customer is notified immediately of the waiting MMS and can download the voucher for free. They don't even pay for the GPRS [general packet radio service] cost."
2010 applications
The technology also has obvious 2010 applications, Groenewald says. Digital ticketing eliminates printing costs, can greatly reduce fraud and corruption in ticket sales, and can help fight the scourge of ticket scalping - all of which will be important to the organisers of the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The solution is equally useful at other sports and mass events, such as concerts and fairs, he notes.
The MMS contains not only the actual ticket, but can feature branding, as well as information about the venue, access routes and parking, food stalls and ablutions in the form of pictures, voice and text.
"So, for example, if mobile ticketing was used for movie tickets, you could have your ticket information along with a movie poster, and a short review with a voice-over," Groenewald says.
Retail applications
Bar-coded gift vouchers also have application in retail. Not only can they carry store branding, but the amount the voucher is worth and how long it is valid for as well as other useful information like where stores are located.
"The average person is more likely to think about whether they have their phone on them when they go out before they think about their wallet. Therefore, using mobile technology is the logical next step for companies that utilise ticketing and vouchers," Groenewald says.
"Some of our clients have already begun using the service, testing the waters by sending digital vouchers to consumers who can redeem them when taken into store.
"We've had a phenomenal response because it increases the level of interaction between companies and their base, while consumers always love receiving a free gift."
MMS has also been used for companies wanting to offer a discount, Groenewald adds. Companies like Bradlows have run MMS campaigns announcing a 20% discount on products on certain days. This proved to be extremely successful, increasing sales while cutting down on the costs of direct mailing.
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