Italian-based OpenMove has announced that it has launched Bluetooth validation in the Italian province of Trentino. This is the first time such a provision has been deployed on a regional scale in Italy and one of the first in Europe.
The OpenMove app is part of the OpenMove Suite mobility platform. In Trentino, the app is used by more than 100,000 customers and enables travelers to plan multimodal journeys leveraging the entire local public transport network (including urban and suburban buses, cableways and regional trains). Travelers can also browse timetables and purchase travel tickets, and then validate them when boarding the vehicle.
From December 5, a selected group of app users have had access to the Bluetooth validation feature across over 700 vehicles operated by Trentino Trasporti, on top of the other validation methods already in use, such as framing the QR code on board the vehicle and scanning the NFC tag.
After the first weeks of testing, the functionality will be extended to all users of the OpenMove app. The Bluetooth technology enables users’ smartphones to automatically detect the vehicle they have boarded, making the user experience even more seamless.
The goal of OpenMove is to allow easy, immediate and seamless access to multimodal transport. Bluetooth is convenient for users, it allows for faster boarding at bus stops or railway stations and it improves the value of data for the transport operators which helps them keep abreast of mobility flows in real time.
“OpenMove has decided to implement this innovation in the smartest way possible, both for the transport operator and for the ridership,” says Lorenzo Modena, CEO and founder of OpenMove. “The smartphone communicates with the on-board hardware already present and therefore it is not necessary to install additional devices. In the event that the devices on board do not allow it, there is always the possibility of installing simple battery-powered beacons that emit the Bluetooth signal necessary for validation. These devices enable to log ticketing waypoints even without actions by the travelers, enabling a hands-free travel experience.”
