Ari Pakarinen was just about to get caught between the doors of a bus when the mobile phone in his pocket went off, indicating he had a text message. At that moment he had what he thought would be a good idea, and Helsinki City Transport agreed with him. Today, three years after the first ticket was bought using a mobile phone, nearly 55 per cent of single journey tram tickets in Helsinki are phoned.

Tickets for the metro can also be purchased using a mobile phone, and in the future it will also be possible to get tickets for buses and local trains.

Helsinki City Transport is also purring with satisfaction. The purchase of tickets with a mobile phone has increased revenue for the City because nearly a third of the people who buy tickets using a mobile phone are those who used to ride around for free! Not many services can brag about having such positive customer feedback: according to customer research, 92 per cent of people who buy tickets with a mobile phone consider the service to be very good.

The inventor of the system is also doing well. A new company, Plusdial, has been created around the idea; in its own words, is about to start producing services to make everyday life easier and a more enriching experience for mobile phone users. Plusdial’s mobile phone ticket concept has aroused interest from the public transport services in such cities as London, Frankfurt, Stockholm and Rome.