Home // International Journal On Advances in Networks and Services, volume 6, numbers 3 and 4, 2013 // View article

Information Visibility in Public Transportation Smart Card Ticket Systems

Authors:
Maja van der Velden
Alma Leora Culen

Keywords: Information Visibility; Smart Card; Ticket Information; Public Transportation; Mobile Apps

Abstract:
This paper discusses the role of information visibility in public transportation ticket systems. The case is the replacement of paper tickets with smart card tickets in the Oslo region in Norway. By contrasting the visibility of ticket information to users of paper tickets and smart card tickets, this paper describes the move from local information on paper tickets to distributed information on smart cards. We used a qualitative content analysis of reader comments to an online opinion article on the new smart card system to analyse the effect of the loss of ticket information. Using the concept of ‘networked visibility’, this paper argues that the move from paper to smart card ticket resulted in less informed travelers and more informed providers. We discuss issues around the visibility of ticket information and present diverse design solutions, including an augmented reality application, which may address the ticket information needs of public transportation users.

Pages: 188 to 197

Copyright: Copyright (c) to authors, 2013. Used with permission.

Publication date: December 31, 2013

Published in: journal

ISSN: 1942-2644