http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3975419.stm

Mobiles double up as bus tickets

Mobile could soon double up as travel cards, with Nokia planning to try out a
wireless ticket system on German buses.

Early next year travellers in the city of Hanau, near Frankfurt, will be able to
pay for tickets by passing their phone over a smart-card reader already
installed on the buses.

Passengers will need to own a Nokia 3220 handset which will have a special shell
installed on it.

The system would reduce queues and make travelling easier, said Nokia.

Smart adverts

Transport systems around the world are seeing the advantage of using ticketless
smartcards.

Using a mobile phone is the next step, said Gerhard Romen, head of market
development at Nokia.

The ticketless trial will start early in 2005 and people will also be able to
access transport information and timetables via their phones.

Nokia has worked with electronics giant Philips to develop a shell for the
mobile phone that will be compatible with Hanau's existing ticketing system.

The system opens up possibilities for mobile devices to be interact with
everyday environments, said Mr Romen.

"It could be used in shops to get product information, at bus-stops to get
information about the next bus or, for example, by being passed over an advert
of a rock star to find out details of concerts or get ringtones," he told the
BBC News website.

He is confident that the trial being run in Germany could be extended to
transport systems in other countries.

"The technology offers access to a lot of services and makes it easy to get the
information you want," he said.