Just tap in: HEAG mobilo tests new digital ticket system in Airliner

Berlin/Darmstadt, 13th July 2026 | Board, tap your bank card or phone on the reader, sit back and relax – that’s how easy future AirLiner journeys between Darmstadt and Frankfurt airport will be. HEAG mobilo, in cooperation with IVU Traffic Technologies AG and with the support of Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbundes (RMV), will launch a pilot project for ID-based ticketing starting immediately. Passengers who already have a season ticket, job ticket, or Deutschlandticket and only need to pay the additional fare for the route can easily pay digitally when boarding through the rear door – and don’t have to queue at the driver.

“Over 80 per cent of our AirLiner passengers already have tickets covering the basic fare and so only have to buy the additional ticket. Our pilot project pursues two goals: to test new, modern types of ticketing and to simultaneously speed up the payment process on the Airliner”, says Arne Rath, Managing Director at HEAG mobilo. “I’m delighted that we can implement this project together with our partners IVU Traffic Technologies and RMV.”

The payment process on the AirLiner has been completely cash-free since last year, which works well for many international travellers and has already improved buses’ punctuality. The technology uses payment methods that passengers carry anyway: bank cards, smartphones or smart watches. These are held against the validator when boarding. The purchased ticket is stored in the background system. During ticket inspection this information can be retrieved when the passenger taps their payment device or card on the control terminal.

“We’re delighted to implement the first ID-based ticketing project in RMV together with HEAG mobilo and RMV. Our IVU.validator is being used for this on the buses, which, as a check-in terminal, supports passenger-operated ticket sales and ID-based ticketing in accordance with the VDV core application. This means that passengers can simply check in using a payment device or card without being familiar with the fares or having to register with an app. The validator stores the sale information in a background system so that it is easily verifiable later during inspection. This reduces waiting times when boarding, improves passenger flow, reduces workload on drivers, and makes the project a pioneer in the future of ticketing”, says Bastian Dittbrenner, Head of the Public Transport Division at IVU Traffic Technologies.

The project is supported by the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbundes (RMV) and its service company rms.

Professor Knut Ringat, Chair of the RMV Managing Board says: “ID-based ticket systems are a modern sales technology that we are testing and advancing for the entire RMV area with the pilot project on the AirLiner. Our focus is on designing ticket purchases to be as easy and intuitive as possible for passengers. Airport commuters, occasional users and international air passengers all travel with the AirLiner. This makes it a suitable transport offer for testing the new sales approach with different passenger groups. The pilot operation gives us important insights as to what passengers need from tickets that can be bought in this way without an app.”

A pilot survey conducted by the RMV subsidiary rms of more than 500 passengers shows that over 70% usually buy the additional ticket for the AirLiner separately and direct from the driver, which takes up a lot of time. The results of the pilot study emphasise the potential of easier and more intuitive operations, especially for passengers who only travel occasionally by bus and train with RMV and are not familiar with the current fares or available purchase options, much like international visitors to the region.

The pilot project will run for one year.  

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