Commuters using passenger trains in Ukraine will be able to use their smartphones as of December 25.
As of December 25, 2012, smartphone using commuters in Ukraine will be able to purchase their tickets electronically by scanning QR codes.
This service will be available for the Intercity+ Ukrainian Express trains.
This news was just announced by Borys Kolesnikov, the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure. He made this electronic tickets announcement during a presentation of the service in Kiev.
The Minister used the opportunity to explain how the QR codes will be used by train commuters.
During his announcement, he said that “From December 25 all smartphone owners will be able to purchase tickets via the Internet without printing: just save the QR code on your phone and go to the train, without having to go to booking-offices.”
Kolesnikov said that in order to be able to take advantage of the QR codes, travelers need only purchase a train ticket on the Ukrzaliznytsia website. Passengers can use their mobile devices to visit the online purchasing section of the site, where they can select the date, their train route, and their departure location. The purchase can then be completed using a credit card.
A confirmation email is immediately sent. Within that message, the QR code will be displayed. When the train conductor asks the passenger for his or her ticket, then the barcode can be shown on the device screen, from which the conductor can scan it, using a mobile access control terminal.
Passengers who do not have smartphones can still take advantage of these QR codes, as they can make their purchase from their traditional computers and then print out the barcode from the email, so that the conductor can scan that, instead. Kolesnikov explained this by saying that “Those, who do not have a smartphone, can simply print the form with the QR code and come to the train. The conductor will read all the data.”
He also said that the QR codes will become available for all Intercity+ trains as of June 1, 2013, and that by the end of the summer, all high speed trains will offer this feature.
