QR codes: more than just a gimmick?

Has the emergence of the barcode in its latest form been a flash in the pan or can this new way of connecting people with information offer something really positive to the passenger transport sector? Simon Fairbank thinks it can

QR codes can give instant access to information like mobile departure boards helping bus travellers.

QR codes can give instant access to information like mobile departure boards helping bus travellers.

In the last few years, QR codes have gone from being an innovative and functional method of tracking components in a factory, to being hailed as a must-have sales conversion tool, to then being discarded as a gimmick that should be consigned to history as other new technologies like NFC and EMV are seen as the way ahead . There are certainly myriad examples of QR codes being used as a quick, faddy way to advertise to consumers without adding much value.

So how do you get away from this poor use...