A Mobile E-Ticket Framework for Bus Commuters: A Mauritian Case Study

Abstract

E-tickets and mobile tickets are widely used across the world for travel by air, trains and coaches. For daily commutes, smart cards are a popular mode of fare collection. These smart travel cards are re-usable and can be easily topped up but may involve a large investment which is hardly affordable in various developing countries. We therefore propose a mobile ticket-based framework which is more economically viable. Bus commuters can purchase their tickets through a mobile application which generates a unique Quick Response (QR) code. During their trip, the QR code is scanned and validated with a corresponding mobile application. This approach considerably reduces the investment in infrastructure as opposed to smart cards. The implemented solution is flexible as it allows the mobile tickets to be used by any bus operator in Mauritius.