Big Bird

Big Bird - driving by air line: like flying, only greener!

Big Bird - the eTarif pilot project of the Soest district - is a sub-project of the public transport digitization offensive of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The idea: people are everywhere in a city, in a region, in the whole country. You get in, get out, change. Tickets, tariffs, network boundaries - you no longer need to be interested in any of these, because your journeys are automatically recorded when you get on and off. This can be done digitally via an app. It will then also be billed automatically. It is based on a tariff model with a basic price and a price per straight-line kilometer driven. This makes traveling by bus and train easier and more attractive - for everyone.

In the Big Bird project, the building blocks required to implement this idea were developed, created, installed and of course also tested individually and in context. The transferability of the functions to other mobility apps was always taken into account.

The Big Bird app

Big Bird is the name of the app that enables check-in / check-out in local public transport.

Big Bird goes eezy.nrw

Another area of ​​application of the Big Bird app results from the introduction of the electronic distance tariff eezy.nrw. The Big Bird app enables passengers to be billed as the crow flies using the check-in / check-out system.

To ask?

What happens if you forget to check-in?

The check-in triggered by the passenger is the start signal for the app that a journey is about to begin. No travel authorization is generated in the app without check-in. The passenger drives "black". In the event of a ticket inspection, an increased transport fee (fine) would be levied accordingly.

What if I forget to check out?

The Big Bird app is programmed in such a way that it asks whether a journey is still in progress as soon as it suspects that there is obviously no more driving. The app then continues to collect movement data until the passenger checks out or the maximum journey time (420 minutes) has expired. In the case of a new check-in, a new basic price will be charged.

What happens when you switch?

No action is required when switching. The Big Bird app analyzes your movement data via GPS tracking and records the change as such. You can simply stay checked in and only check out at the end of the entire journey.

Is it possible to book 1st class?

Yes, it is possible to book 1st class via the app. To do this, please simply check-in under class "1. Select class ".

How is the ticket inspection carried out?

After you have checked-in for your journey, you will be shown a QR code (your digital ticket) in the app. This is your valid driving authorization, which you have to show during an inspection. As this is a personal, non-transferable ticket, an identity card / passport / driver's license must also be presented.

What to do if the wrong price is charged

If an incorrect tariff is calculated or an increased price is calculated due to an operational disruption, this can be reported to our customer service within 14 days at etarif@rlg-online.de.

If we discover that a wrong price has been charged through no fault of our own, we will refund the difference at the correct price.