Wednesday 27 February 2013

Norfolk bus trial to inform government's smart ticketing strategy


£2.5 million pilot funding for paperless transport system in Norfolk.
Norfolk’s buses will be at the forefront of government ambitions for a paperless transport system, with a £2.5 million pilot of smart card technology, Transport Minister Norman Baker announced today.
The scheme, which will be funded from the government‘s £15 million commitment to ensure all buses in England are smart enabled, will allow the county’s entire bus fleet to be fitted with smart technology.
The pilot will last for 3 years but will be evaluated throughout so that the benefits can be understood and used nationally before the end of the trial.

Read the full article here.

Tuesday 26 February 2013

Transport Ticketing 2013 – Event Report


Transport Ticketing 2013 – Event Report
28-30th January 2013
By Valentina Barker

Transport Ticketing 2013: How smart is your ticketing?

This year’s Transport Ticketing conference, organised by Clarion Events, gathered more than 400 delegates and covered many topics, including:
  •    emergence of new ticketing technologies best practice for implementation of new schemes
  •        interoperability in transport ticketing
  •        and the benefits that new ticketing methods bring.

The growing interest to transport ticketing both from within transport and other market sectors signifies that ticketing, through use of smarter technologies, is becoming more than just a fare collection instrument. 


The full report is available in the members' section of SCNF.org.uk here.  To become a member for free click here.

Friday 22 February 2013

SCNF sponsor Payne Security joins ITSO


PAYNE Security - one of the world's leading companies in the fields of authentication technologies, document security and card solutions - has recently joined ITSO as a supplier member.

Janet Taylor is the Business Development Manager for the transport smartcard sector and has recently joined Payne after eight years at Novacroft, where she spent the last four years as Sales Director.

For more information visit www.payne-security.co.uk

Thursday 7 February 2013

ScotRail says it’s playing its Smartcards right


ScotRail and the Scottish Government are accelerating plans to offer Smartcard season tickets to customers.
The train operator – which runs 95 per cent of train services in Scotland - has already issued some 12,000 cards to staff and customers, providing a robust testing ground for a wider customer roll out this year.

An initial pilot on the Edinburgh – Falkirk High – Glasgow Queen Street route has been successful, providing impetus to extend the scheme.

An investment pot of around £2million has seen the installation and/or upgrade of equipment at 70 stations across the central belt, which will see key season ticket routes -  Stirling, Ayrshire, Aberdeen and parts of Strathclyde- switch to smart.

The move is in line with the Scottish Government’s long term vision to have a ‘Saltire’ card that will enable passengers to switch between different modes of transport using one ITSO-compliant smartcard.

ScotRail is currently completing rigorous testing before going live on new routes, to ensure that customers get the best possible first impression.

“To encourage customers to make the switch, the entire Smartcard offering must be seamless,” said Sean Duffy, commercial director at ScotRail.  “We are ensuring that we have all elements in place and working well before we go live:  a dedicated website – where photos for Smartcards can be uploaded online; a specialist customer service team; reliable equipment at stations and on trains; and well trained staff on the
ground to assist.

“To support the roll-out we’re producing a range of marketing materials to position Smartcards as the best choice for season ticket holders.”


Read the full article via ITSO.