MALAYSIA: Kuala Lumpur International Airport rail link operator Express Rail Link has put a modernised fare collection system into service. New ticket gates accept contactless smart cards, Touch 'n Go and Visa payWave instead of the former magnetic stripe tickets, while QR barcodes can be used for online purchases and there is a mobile app.
ERL aims to encourage a transition to paperless ticketing, reduce cash handling, printing and distribution costs and provide more efficient back-end reconciliation.
The project was undertaken for ERL by XChanging Malaysia and Longbow Technologies, with SPYTL as project manager.
'This new ticketing system will support both the KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit services, to form a totally closed or integrated system', said Noormah Mohd Noor, CEO of ERL. 'It is the first cloud-based ticketing solution in the Asia-Pacific. The cloud-based approach is economical, easy to maintain, and scalable'.
She added 'our customers are air travellers from all over the world. Hence, we have to provide them with the convenience of buying their KLIA Ekspres ticket anytime, anywhere, in the comfort of their home.'
ERL is anticipating an 40% increase in passenger numbers once its services are extended to the future Terminal 2, which is expected to open next year.
- Launching the new ticketing system, Noormah said ERL hopes its alignment could form part of the planned Kuala Lumpur - Singapore high speed line. 'The high speed rail is an exciting prospect, and we are confident that our experience and excellent service offering will provide a significant advantage should we be given the opportunity to participate in the project.'
