Passengers using bus, rail and other public transport services in the Italian city of Genoa can now pay for their journeys from their smartphone without having to take their device out of their pocket or bag.

Public transport provider Azienda Mobilità e Trasport (AMT) has rolled out the hands-free Bluetooth ticketing feature following a year-long pilot as part of its new GoGoGe Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) app that enables users to plan multimodal journeys, as well as book and pay for electric rental cars and scooters and parking spaces across the city.

The feature also supports fare capping to ensure that users pay no more than the price of a daily or weekly pass, no matter how many journeys they make within a given period.

“On AMT means of transportation it is possible to travel on a ‘postpaid’ basis, that is, without buying a ticket before boarding,” AMT explains.

“The reference technology is the so-called BIBO (Be-In-Be-Out); by turning on Bluetooth and the ‘Postpaid’ Ticket on the app, it will be GoGoGe itself that will connect with the systems installed on board buses, subways, elevators and funiculars and store the journey.

“The connection is ensured by more than 7,000 beacons installed at stops, on the entire fleet and AMT modes of transportation (bus, subways, elevators…) that detect the presence and ensure the connection with the wallet system.

“Payment is charged at the end of the day by applying a ‘best fare’ logic, ie, the best fare for the customer on a daily and weekly basis.”

Multimodal

GoGoGe uses “an advanced technology that allows the user to move around our territory in the most practical, simple and innovative way possible”, AMT president Ilaria Gavulglio says.

“Just by using their smartphone, people can move around the city choosing the transport mode that best suits their needs: our transport system, electric cars or train, at the best possible rate.

“Also thanks to GoGoGe, we are designing the mobility of the future, based on intermodality, simplicity, convenience and sustainability.”

A short video by technology provider Hitachi Rail shows how the system works.

AMT began trialling open loop contactless fare payments with group ticketing and fare capping on urban bus services in Genoa in February 2022.

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