Mobile payment for more sustainable transport!
Just as the optimization and “greening” of transport contribute to the sustainability of a city, the form in which travel entitlements are redeemed instead of individual car use in public transport, for example, is also important for a comprehensive assessment of environmental impacts. Why is mobile ticketing more environmentally friendly than traditional paper-based ticketing?
The „Mobiljegy for Public Transport” service, now almost four years old, is a national best practice promoting the digital use of local and interurban public transport services. The solution was developed in cooperation between transport operators, cities, and retailers to enable passengers to buy and use their tickets and passes easily and in their daily lives via a mobile application. Meanwhile, operators can also check boardings, and easily access revenue and travel statistics that can help them plan services more sustainably. In the wake of the pandemic, contactless solutions have gained in value, and the Mobiljegy service was introduced for intercity public transport and has since been deployed nationwide. Today, the share of mobile ticketing in relation to all sales channels varies from city to city, ranging from 8% to 30%. As an indication of its popularity, the number of transactions of the service has increased by 254% in one year and its turnover by 168% at the beginning of this year compared to the same period last year.
How does this contribute to increasing sustainability? Why is it good for the environment?
A wealth of data and studies is available on the environmental impact of cash production, manufacturing and logistics, and the emission of paper receipts. Therefore, a positive environmental impact can be achieved by reducing the use of cash and paper receipts. ESG team has analyzed the potential CO2 emissions savings per transaction based on industry estimates and calculated that the savings per transaction can be measured at 58.5 grams. Since the launch of the service in 2019, the more than 22 million transport transactions completed so far have saved 23 tonnes of CO2 emissions!
What about social and economic sustainability?
The digital service is not only important from an environmental point of view, but also from a social and economic point of view: the services are typically low-barrier, free of charge for users, and ensure the digital literacy of the population, in line with the overall social digitalization efforts. The service provides a nationwide, interoperable, transparent, and coherent system to meet the requirements of economic sustainability, thus having a significant economic development impact.
Source: 2021 Sustainability Report of the National Mobile Payment PlC., pages 19-20, page 50.
