A few weeks ago I was visited by a friend who is living in my hometown. She took a Flixbus to Munich and then had to change at the metro station in Munich to reach my place. She actually just wanted to get from place A to B, but was really annoyed about the whole travelling process and had a lot of trouble because of unnecessary actions.
First, she had to book a ticket for the Flixbus at home. After arriving in Munich with a long delay, she had to search for the ticket machine at the metro station and there search for the right ticket option for her. The many options and buttons really confused her. Further, she is student in our hometown so she didn’t really know which options she was able to choose from and how the system works in Munich and nobody could help her. After buying a ticket she still had to search the ticket validator. In the same moment she missed the right metro and had to wait some more minutes. In the metro there was a ticket inspector who checked her ticket. She still wasn’t sure if the ticket is right, but in the end it was fine.
What is the Pain Point?
I think everyone knows how annoying it is to buy tickets if you have to use different means of transportation and change trains. The buying process is always different and difficult, because you need to use different platforms or search for the ticket machines at the train stations if you are new in the city and don’t have the knowledge and maybe the right app.
Furthermore, there is the trouble of buying the right ticket at the ticket machine – in every city it looks different and has a different system. Then you also have to check if you have the right identification with you if there is a control, e.g. your student ID. There are a lot of steps you have to take which take time and are really annoying.
How could this Pain Point be reduced or eliminated in a blockchain-world?
There could be one blockchain platform which involves different means of transportation, so that you just have to buy all tickets conveniently within one platform and your phone. The blockchain could give you the benefit that you have one validated identification and could also be identified with different status like student, etc. This facilitates the process of control in the trains because you just have to show your ticket on your mobile phone without any ID, because this was already validated via the Blockchain platform. It could also make it easier to make your ticket choice because your validated ID is deposited, and the platform so could suggest a suitable ticket for you. Additionally, it is not necessary anymore to validate your ticket at the validation machine.
All together this solution makes the processes more efficient for buyers and also the ticket inspector in trains, as it can save time and costs and makes travelling more convenient and uncomplicated.
You could also pay with cryptocurrency and eliminate payment intermediaries, which lowers the risk of credit card fraud.
Another feature could be that you get your money back through smart contracts if trains/busses don’t come or have a strong delay. Everything could become more automated and make your trip more convenient.
What do you think?
#LifeWithBlockchain
Thanks to Pascal Mehrwald (@pascalmehrwald), Benjamin Pabst von Ohain (@benpvo), Prof. Dr. Isabell M. Welpe and the TUM seminar participants.