Siemens solution allows travellers in Vogtland to use their mobile phones to pay for bus, train and parking

Munich, Jan 12, 2006, Citizens of the Vogtland region in the German state of Saxony will soon be able to pay for almost all transit- or traffic-related services via their mobile phones. The current electronic ticket system, which already lets customers in the region purchase bus and train tickets via cellphone, is now being expanded to offer parking tickets as well. The solution, which was implemented by Siemens Business Services (SBS), is the only one of its kind in Germany.

Saxony’s Vogtland region is located on Germany’s border to the Czech Republic. In 2004, Siemens Business Services introduced a solution that let customers purchase public transit tickets with their mobile phones. The system is now being expanded to offer drivers the additional option of paying for parking in the same way. The first towns to offer the new service are Auerbach and Plauen, with the rest of the region set to follow soon. The system undoubtedly makes life easier for the user: no need to find a parking ticket machine, no need for small change, and the ticket can even be extended over the phone. Monitoring also becomes easier, which in turn means more money for the municipal coffers.

Users who are not yet registered to use the new public transit system must first register at www.telefahrschein.de. They will then be mailed a sticker for their car windshield that identifies them as potential “mobile parkers”. Any tickets purchased via mobile phone are stored electronically. Meter maids check parked cars with a standard mobile camera phone, and the system compares the image of the license plate with the record stored in the data center.

Drivers in Berlin, Paderborn, Vienna and more than a dozen other cities in Austria are already using their mobile phones to pay for parking fees - thanks to solutions from Siemens Business Services.

A picture is available at: http://www.siemens.com/sbs/bilder/m-parking2

Siemens Business Services is an internationally leading IT service provider.
This Siemens Group offers services all along the IT service chain from a single source – from consulting to systems integration, right through to the management of IT infrastructures. Thanks to comprehensive know-how and sector-specific expertise, the company provides measurable added value for its customers. With regard to outsourcing and IT maintenance, Siemens Business Services is among the top ten providers worldwide. Sales in fiscal year 2005 (ending 30 September 2005) came to around EUR 5,4 billion, 75 percent of which was achieved outside the Siemens organization. The company currently has approx. 39,000 employees worldwide. Further information at http://www.siemens.com/sbs.

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Jörn Roggenbuck

Press Office Siemens Business Services

Siemens AG

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