Germany’s transport minister Alexander Dobrindt promised to expand the availability of mobile ticket payment services across the vast majority of the country’s public transport network by 2019, Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung reported.

Currently each city or region operates its own transport payment and ticketing system, with some enabling payment and ticketing through apps and others running cash or card-only provision.

Under the new rules, the same mobile payment and ticketing application will work across the country with customers offered the option of using cards with contactless chips, mobile apps or traditional payment methods.

The newspaper said mobile apps for transport are becoming increasingly popular across Germany, and most major transport providers already have dedicated apps in place.

In the interview, Dobrindt said he believes there should be pan-European mobility platforms to improve customer communication and payment for transport services, adding “we must promote digitalisation and networking in this area.”