Transport Ticketing Global 2026

Smart ticketing digitised fares and simplified access to public transport. The next evolution goes further – towards sentient ticketing systems that understand context, adapt in real time and actively optimise both passenger experience and network performance.  

This session explores how advances in AI, real-time data and platform-based architectures are transforming ticketing from a static transaction layer into an intelligent decision engine. Sentient ticketing systems can recognise travel patterns, anticipate demand, apply dynamic entitlements and fare policies and respond to disruption delivering fairer pricing, seamless journeys and more efficient operations.  

Drawing on real-world examples from public transport and on-demand mobility, the talk outlines what it takes to move beyond today’s smart and account-based ticketing toward adaptive, context-aware fare ecosystems and why this shift is critical for cities seeking inclusive, resilient and financially sustainable transit systems.