Generate travel planning data

Whilst it is not the primary purpose of a fare collection system, these can often be amenable to the collection of data on travel demand that identifies not only passenger volumes but also their collective origins and travel destinations and variances in these by time and day of travel.

Electronic fare validation systems are of the greatest use in this regard, as the data gathering and processing can largely be automated. Even where the fare collection system doesn’t directly identify a point of alighting, matching of the subsequent card usage (either on a linked trip, or on the return journey for a regular commuter) can suggest its locality.