FAIRTIQ

What FAIRTIQ does

FAIRTIQ AG is a Swiss public-transport technology company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Bern that builds a smartphone-based mobile pay-as-you-go (MPAYG) ticketing platform. Passengers begin and end journeys with a single swipe in the FAIRTIQ app; GPS tracking, an automatic best-price engine, fare capping, and a "be-out" detection mode calculate the optimal fare across buses, trains, trams, and boats without requiring passengers to understand tariff zones. Transport operators can deploy the FAIRTIQ consumer app, integrate the FAIRTIQ SDK into their own apps (as SBB has done with SBB Mobile), or run customized pilots on the FTQ Lab platform.

The underlying technology stack combines location-based check-in/check-out detection, distance-based and beeline pricing models, and an analytics layer that merges automatic passenger count (APC) data with MPAYG transaction data to deliver origin-destination journey-chain insights for transport planning. The company holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification, operates at 99.99% platform uptime, and has facilitated 170+ million journeys totaling 2.7 billion km across 86 partner operators in six countries, with 900,000+ monthly active users and 100,000+ daily active users.

FAIRTIQ monetizes primarily through transaction and service fees paid by public transport authorities and operators (including per-journey processing, SDK/white-label licensing, and data analytics), supplemented by a recurring B2B employee-mobility-budget subscription product for corporate employers. The go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales to public-sector transport buyers with a channel-partner motion in which transport operators distribute FAIRTIQ-powered apps to end users. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; ownership remains founder- and management-controlled with co-CEOs Anne Mellano and Gian-Mattia Schucan and no disclosed institutional funding rounds.

Name

FAIRTIQ

Legal name

FAIRTIQ AG

Website

https://fairtiq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

FAIRTIQ provides smartphone check-in/check-out mobile pay-as-you-go ticketing software to public transport operators and corporate employers across Europe, serving 86 transport partners and 900,000+ monthly riders via its app, SDK, and analytics products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Public Transport Ticketing Software

NAICS

Bus and Other Motor Vehicle Transit Systems (485113), Other Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation (48599)

SIC

Local & Suburban Transit & Interurban Hwy Passenger Trans (4100)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobile Ticketing & Digital Pass Apps (THAIAMAB)

Keywords

• Mobile ticketing software
• Public transport technology
• Check-in check-out fare
• Mobility-as-a-service platform
• Transport data analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Transaction/Fare Processing Fees: FAIRTIQ processes mobile ticketing transactions for public transport journeys. Revenue is generated through transaction fees paid by transport authorities and operators for each journey processed through the platform.
2. SDK and Technology Licensing: Transport operators can license the FAIRTIQ SDK to embed ticketing technology into their own existing apps, generating licensing revenue.
3. Employee Mobility Budgets (B2B): Companies pay for employee mobility budgets that can be used for business or private journeys via the FAIRTIQ app. Companies receive monthly invoices and usage dashboards.
4. Data Analytics & Insights: FAIRTIQ provides data analytics services to transport operators, including merged APC and MPAYG data for transport planning and revenue distribution decisions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

FAIRTIQ provides a smartphone-based mobile pay-as-you-go (MPAYG) ticketing platform for public transport. Passengers start and end a journey with a single swipe in the FAIRTIQ app; GPS-based location tracking automatically calculates the optimal fare and applies best-price capping. The same technology is licensed to transport operators via SDK or co-branded apps, enabling distance-based and fare-capped tariffs across buses, trains, trams, and boats without additional hardware.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FAIRTIQ Red: Main consumer ticketing application for public transport passengers
• FTQ Lab
• FAIRTIQ SDK

Products and services

• FAIRTIQ App Free-to-download smartphone ticketing app that lets passengers start and end a journey with a single swipe; uses GPS to calculate distance-based fares, automatically applies the cheapest fare including day-ticket capping, and supports multimodal travel across buses, trains, trams, and boats. Available to individual passengers in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Czech Republic, Norway, UK, and Sweden.
• FTQ Lab App Pilot project app and management platform for transport authorities and operators to trial MPAYG features, distance-based tariffs, and fare innovations with closed or open user groups before full deployment, with real-time data monitoring.
• FAIRTIQ SDK Licensable software development kit that embeds FAIRTIQ's CiCo ticketing, best-price, capping, and GPS logic into transport operators' existing mobile apps, enabling white-label MPAYG deployment without a standalone FAIRTIQ app.
• Data Analytics & Insights Data analytics service that merges APC data with FAIRTIQ MPAYG data to provide transport operators with origin-destination journey-chain insights, passenger behavior analysis, and revenue-distribution inputs for planning.
• Tariff Innovation Service for transport authorities to design, simulate, and launch innovative fare models including distance-based, beeline, cluster, and progressive-discount tariffs, supported by FAIRTIQ's pricing engine and pilot methodology.
• Data-driven Marketing Campaign service for transport operators to run area-targeted promocode campaigns (e.g., free travel days, two-for-one offers, event-linked promotions) with real-time statistics and usage analytics to drive ridership.
• Employee Mobility B2B offering for corporate employers to provide each employee with a mobility budget usable on the FAIRTIQ app for business or private journeys, with monthly invoicing and usage dashboards to replace company cars and parking burdens.

Quantifiable outcome

• 131 million trips facilitated in 2025
• +10 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Arcobaleno Partners (ABL, AMSA, ARL, FART, FLP, SNL, TPL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Seven transport companies in Ticino, Switzerland partnered with FAIRTIQ to modernize public transport ticketing in southern Switzerland. The partnership includes offline marketing campaigns (billboards, posters, flyers) and Italian language app localization. The Arcobaleno partners launched the New Generation Tariff in the FAIRTIQ App in July 2024, with full classic sales channel transition expected by end of 2025.
• Zlín Region (Czech Republic)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Zlín Region partnered with FAIRTIQ to implement a cluster-based distance pricing model, unifying nine operators and six transport authorities into one regional system in under a year. The implementation enabled integrated tariff for all transport modes in the region.
• VGN (Nuremberg Transport Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022VGN partnered with FAIRTIQ to launch 'egon' eTarif, a kilometre-based digital fare model for occasional travelers. Since 2022, egon has seen over 3.5 million journeys and 26% growth, with 7% of users indicating they would not have traveled without the offer.
• KVV (Karlsruhe Transport Authority)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2021KVV was one of the first to pilot and fully implement regional beeline fare (KVV.luftlinie) using the FAIRTIQ app. Since December 2021, the model has facilitated over 1.4 million journeys. As of February 2025, integrated into state-wide CiCoBW system.
• Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe (KVB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKVB partnered with FAIRTIQ and VRS to implement eezy.nrw, a digital fare system based on mobile MPAYG and distance-based beeline pricing in Cologne and North Rhine-Westphalia. KVB implemented campaign-based marketing including free travel days, two-for-one offers, and event-linked promotions.
• Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (VRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVRS partnered with KVB and FAIRTIQ to launch eezy.nrw as a pilot project that became an integral part of North Rhine-Westphalia's public transport landscape. VRS coordinates services across the Rhein-Sieg region and contributes to the campaign-based commercial strategy.
• Arenaways (Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArenaways partnered with FAIRTIQ to launch the first mobile pay-as-you-go ticketing solution in Italy, specifically in the Piemonte region. This marks FAIRTIQ's expansion into the Italian market and represents the first step in establishing a broader presence in Italy.
• Rejsekort&Rejseplan A/S (Denmark)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRejsekort partnered with FAIRTIQ for a pilot project in northern Denmark to test replacing the tap-in/tap-out card system with a fully digital MPAYG solution. The successful pilot (4,000 participants, 1,000+ trips/day) led to a national tender won by FAIRTIQ, resulting in nationwide Rejsekort app launch in September 2024.
• SBB (Swiss Federal Railways)coreTechnology or IntegrationFAIRTIQ technology facilitated the SBB Mobile app extension, enabling check-in/check-out functionality within SBB's official app through SDK integration.
• Brakar (Norway)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrakar partnered with FAIRTIQ to pilot distance-based beeline pricing in Norway's Buskerud region. The pilot addresses fare fairness concerns and aims to replace rigid zone pricing with a smarter, more equitable fare system for 285,000 residents.
• City of FlensburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Flensburg partnered with FAIRTIQ to offer free public transport for volunteers through promocode campaigns. Volunteers receive quarterly promo codes to travel on Flensburg's buses for free. The partnership supports the federal 'Engagierte Stadt' program and promotes sustainable mobility.
• Groupe GrisoniminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading Swiss construction company (~1,300 employees) partnered with FAIRTIQ to implement employee mobility budgets. The solution addresses parking shortages and promotes sustainable commuting. Companies receive monthly invoices and usage dashboards.
• MDV (Central Germany Transport Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMDV partnered with FAIRTIQ to launch digital ticketing across the entire MDV network in December 2023. The partnership is part of the 'STADTLand+ Mitteldeutschland vernetzt' pilot project. Launch resulted in 1,000 new registrations and 10%+ trip increase.
• 86 Public Transport CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFAIRTIQ partners with 86 leading public transport companies across 6 countries, including ZVV (Zurich), CGN (Geneva), SNCF (France), TransN, Auto AG Schwyz, STI (Solothurn), and others. These partners distribute FAIRTIQ's mobile ticketing to end consumers.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bytemark: Mobile ticketing and fare payment platform for transit agencies, now part of Modaxo. Competes directly with FAIRTIQ in mobile-first public transport ticketing, especially in North American and European markets.
• Masabi: UK-based provider of mobile ticketing and fare payment platforms for public transit operators (Justride, Validator, Ticketing Hub). Closest direct competitor to FAIRTIQ, serving similar European and North American transit authorities with SDK-based MPAYG solutions.

Emerging players

• Transit App: Popular multi-city transit journey planning and ticketing app, particularly strong in North America. Partial overlap with FAIRTIQ on consumer-facing transit experience, though less focused on MPAYG fare calculation.
• Citymapper: Urban mobility app providing multimodal journey planning across major European and global cities. Competes for end-user attention in the same public transport app category, with partial overlap in ticketing partnerships.
• Moovel (Reach Now): Mobility-as-a-Service platform originally backed by Daimler, now part of Reach Now. Competes in multimodal mobility apps and ticketing integration, with overlapping but broader scope than FAIRTIQ's transit focus.

Broad incumbents

• Scheidt & Bachmann: European leader in fare collection systems for rail and public transit. Provides both hardware and software ticketing solutions, including mobile fare media platforms. Major incumbent competitor in DACH and broader European tenders.
• Cubic Transportation Systems: Large global incumbent offering end-to-end fare collection systems, including the Justride MPAYG platform, AFC gates, and back-office systems. Competes with FAIRTIQ in tenders but bundles hardware and software at scale that FAIRTIQ cannot match.
• Conduent Transportation: Large North American-based provider of transit fare collection, including mobile and open-loop payment systems. Competes for large-scale public transit contracts, though primarily focused on US/UK markets.
• INIT (Innovations in Transportation): German-based provider of integrated public transit solutions including ticketing, planning, and real-time systems. Competitor in DACH tenders with broader ITS portfolio, including MOBILEvario and eTicketing offerings.

Regional players

• Unicard: UK-based smartcard and fare collection provider for transport operators. Adjacent competitor to FAIRTIQ in UK public transit digitalization, particularly as FAIRTIQ expands into the British market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FAIRTIQ
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMNKwKGe2mN_srTgcOqhYXw
• Facebookfacebook.com/FAIRTIQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fairtiq
• Instagraminstagram.com/fairtiq
• TikToktiktok.com/@fairtiq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FAIRTIQ