One small step for technology, one giant leap for Croatian Railways.
Staring from Thursday, Croatian Railways will allow a free download of a smartphone application which can be used to purchase tickets. By the end of September, all major train stations will also get ticket vending machines where credit cards will be used, reports Novi List on September 7, 2016.
Croatian Railways (HŽ) announced that, based on experiences of other railway operators, they expected the share of internet ticket sales to reach between 20 and 25 percent. Croatian Railways added that, in addition to collecting data important for their business operations, their aim was to increase revenues and improve the quality of service. HŽ has begun to introduce new and modernized sales channels staring from mid-August, replacing old-fashioned purchase of tickets in trains with mobile terminals.
The modernization drive has continued now with the introduction of the booking and buying tickets on the internet at www.hzpp.hr. Users can reserve and purchase tickets by simply entering the required information and paying for them with American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Maestro cards. The tickets can be printed or shown on a smartphone to controller. All these developments are part of an integrated project worth 38.3 million kuna, which was launched in February 2014.
The new system includes the sale and booking of tickets on domestic and international passenger services, and the introduction of a central system for ticket sales which supports internet sales via website or through the application.
The project also includes the introduction of smart cards which will replace the existing paper cards for monthly and annual tickets. Smart cards will also be used as prepaid cards to purchase individual tickets.
The implementation of the comprehensive integrated system of sales and ticket reservations is expected by the end of the year.
