Hanover/Germany, 02/02/2010. Hoeft & Wessel AG has been commissioned by Hamburger Hochbahn, Germany´s second-largest regional transport company, to supply and implement an e-ticketing pilot project for the Hamburg public transport corporation Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV). The HVV manages a public transport network operated by more than 30 transport companies covering three federal states and seven municipal districts, with a combined population of about 3.3 million in the metropolitan Hamburg region.

The e-ticketing solution developed by the Almex business division of Hoeft & Wessel AG is based on the German VDV-KA standard. This standard is designed to allow customers to use their electronic cards interoperably, i.e. across different systems throughout Germany in future.

Almex had already implemented the first e-ticketing application conforming to the VDV-KA standard back in 2006. Thanks to the experience gained in numerous subsequent projects, Almex today has extensive skills and knowledge in the implementation of the VDV-KA standard.

The e-ticketing system will enable the transport companies participating in the HVV network to offer their passengers even better service. The e-ticket in the form of an electronic customer card lets passengers buy tickets making cashless payments within a pilot area located in Hamburg´s southern region. The system will initially be available on buses, with the stationary ticket vending machines at stops to follow at a later stage.

Against payment of a monthly fee for the new e-ticket, customers will be able to buy single fares and day passes at significantly reduced tariffs. This means that the e-ticket closes the gap between single-fare tickets and time-based, or seasonal tickets. These tickets can be purchased via cashless transactions and then stored on the e-ticket. The fares at the reduced tariff can either be deducted from a pre-paid balance, or charged to an account by direct debit.

As early as the second half of 2010, Almex will be implementing a pilot project in the Hamburg-Harburg district and the adjacent Harburg rural district. The system will be based on the almex.optima cl on-board computer, with integrated ticket printers newly installed in the buses of Hamburg Hochbahn. This model conforms to the e-ticketing requirements in accordance with the VDV-KA standard.

Almex, part of the Hoeft & Wessel Group, specialises in ticketing and telematics solutions for the public transport sector. Having obtained certification for the dominant e-ticketing standards VDV-KA, ITSO and Calypso, Almex is one of Europe´s leading providers in this market and has already successfully completed a large number of projects in Germany, the UK, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain.