Stadtwerke Trier rely on INIT's many years of expertise in account-based ticketing

Since 3 November, passengers on Trier buses have been checking in and out themselves using their bank card or smartphone

Stadtwerke Trier is promoting "TREVER & SMART" with a specially decorated bus.  (© WSW)

Karlsruhe / Trier  – November 06, 2025

A new era in ticketing has begun in Trier, Germany: passengers can now check themselves in and out on Stadtwerke Trier (SWT) buses and make EMV payments (short for Europay, MasterCard and Visa) with best-price billing. They do not need to know the local fares – instead, they simply hold a debit or credit card, or a smartphone or smartwatch, in front of a terminal on the bus, and off they go. 

The project, known as “TREVER & SMART”, is based on INIT’s standardised, cloud-based platform solution TapNGo. By adopting this system, SWT are drawing on the extensive international EMV and account-based ticketing expertise of market leader INIT.

SWT’s goal is to make access to public transport significantly easier, particularly for occasional passengers and tourists. The debit or credit card becomes the ticket – no fare knowledge, registration or app download required.

Entire bus fleet equipped with new hardware

The entire SWT fleet (100 own buses and 20 subcontractor buses) has been equipped with INIT’s PROXmobile3 terminals for check-in at the rear doors. Passengers can also board via the front doors, where they can tap their card or device on the reader integrated into the EVENDpc3 on-board computer and ticket printer (also by INIT).

As TapNGo is hosted by INIT, SWT incurs no maintenance costs for the system – saving both time and money. All fare calculations take place in the back-office system.

Before launch, extensive testing ensured that the system could handle complex fare structures such as zone boundaries and overlapping stops, and correctly process a wide range of payment cards and media types.

Faster boarding processes

The previously mandatory controlled front-door boarding has been discontinued. Passengers may now board and check in via the rear doors until 8 p.m., which brings several benefits: faster boarding, reduced driver workload, and increased safety thanks to less cash handling.

The shift to cashless boarding also reduces sales and accounting expenses. Drivers benefit further as they are relieved from ticket sales and fare inspection duties. SWT will instead deploy more mobile inspection teams, equipped with specialist verification devices.

Always travel at the best price

German Federal Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder attended the project launch in Trier and checked in using a card.  (© SWT)

“TREVER & SMART” applies across Trier’s urban area and on all SWT buses. Passengers do not need to register or know the fare. With each successful check, the price is displayed on the PROXmobile3 terminal. The system’s back-office automatically determines the correct fare, so passengers always travel at the best available price.

A standard single ticket is charged per journey in line with the regional transport association’s fares. The best-price principle ensures that multiple journeys are capped at the cost of a day ticket, with settlement occurring the following day.

Transparency is key: passengers can review their journeys and payments online using their card number.

Future-proof system

Although newly launched, SWT Managing Director Elmar Kandels explains that future developments are already being considered:

“We are proud to have one of the most modern and, above all, future-proof ticketing systems in German public transport, and to be among the first in the country to use the internationally accepted EMV standard with best-price billing. We’re making travel much easier for our passengers, as they automatically travel at the correct and best fare. Together with INIT, we’ll evaluate the first few weeks and then consider further enhancements – such as allowing multiple passengers or expanding the pilot beyond the Trier region.”

INIT Managing Director Klaus Janke is delighted with the trust placed on INIT and adds:

“EMV ticketing with check-in/check-out and best-price billing is already well established internationally. INIT has successfully implemented several comparable open payment projects – for example in Nottingham (UK), Turku (Finland) and Portland (USA). We launched systems in Turku and Portland as early as 2013 and bring extensive experience with these processes. We are delighted to now be among the pioneers of this technology in Germany with Stadtwerke Trier.”

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Pictures, video or graphics published with the press release may only be used in direct connection with the publication of the press release and only if the source is acknowledged as indicated.

Stadtwerke Trier is promoting "TREVER & SMART" with a specially decorated bus.  (© SWT)

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German Federal Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder attended the project launch in Trier and checked in using a card.  (© SWT)

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Andrea Mohr-Braun

Head of Department Corporate Marketing
INIT worldwide
Phone: +49 721 6100 113
Fax: +49 721 6100 399

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