Ticketing and Concessionary Travel on Public Transport - United ...

Ev 100 Transport Committee: Evidence
— PlusBus should be promoted a whole lot better than it is now. It should be available when booking
tickets on line, <strong>and</strong> it should be clear to users where <strong>and</strong> on what services they can use this ticket.
— A Penalty Fare scheme is introduced to cover buses with similar terms to that which operates on
the rail network, with non-payment resulting in a criminal prosecution. The penalty fare should
be set to a level that would act as a deterrent.
— Rail operators should be made to take revenue protection more seriously. Perhaps the st<strong>and</strong>ards
that Centro have used to make Central Trains raise their performance should be applied across
the entire National Rail Network.
— It is the job of the Police to deal with anti-social behaviour <strong>and</strong> crime on the public transport
network—not operational staV. There should be more resources made available for visible
policing on the bus <strong>and</strong> rail network, to provide reassurance to passengers <strong>and</strong> staV, deter crime
<strong>and</strong> apprehend oVenders.
— The concessionary fares scheme for senior citizens needs st<strong>and</strong>ardisation. The pass should be valid
on all rail services within the issuing authorities boundaries, as well as bus journeys that start or
end in the issuing authorities boundaries. It is nonsensical that a senior citizen who lives in
Stratford can travel on a bus all the way to Birmingham free of charge, but a senior citizen who
lives in Birmingham will find the validity of their Centro pass will end at the West Midl<strong>and</strong>s County
boundary.
26. If the committee requires any clarification on the issues I have raised please do not hesitate to contact
me <strong>and</strong> I will be happy to oblige.
March 2007
1. Executive Summary
Memor<strong>and</strong>um from TransAction Resources Ltd (TPT 14)
The ITSO organisation has developed a st<strong>and</strong>ard for interoperable transport ticketing that has been
recognised through its adoption as the basis for ISO 24014-1, the new international st<strong>and</strong>ard for Integrated
Fare Management System architecture.
However, the time has come to move from development to implementation in a timely fashion, <strong>and</strong> this
raises the question of funding <strong>and</strong> the business case. It is extremely diYcult to drive the adoption of new
technology if the business case is not suYciently robust. Organisations are reluctant to invest precious funds
without some projected return that may be quantified.
The ITSO st<strong>and</strong>ard includes a stored value e-purse that, if activated, has the potential to deliver a future
income stream to ITSO <strong>and</strong> its members. This revenue may be used to strengthen the business case
significantly <strong>and</strong> to oVset the costs of implementation.
It is recommended that a policy be adopted which recognises, <strong>and</strong> allows for, this future potential in a
way that does not detract from the delivery of the ENCTS within the required timeframes. As the e-purse
is already in the technology platform there should be no apparent conflict.
It will also be critical that a suYciently secure ITSO compliant chip is chosen, unlike the Oyster card <strong>and</strong>
the Scottish Entitlement card, to allow the adequate protection of cardholder funds in the future. The cost
of these chips has fallen significantly in recent years <strong>and</strong> they are now much more aVordable.
2. Introduction
TransAction Resources is a specialist consultancy, founded in 1994, which operates in the field of
electronic payments <strong>and</strong> loyalty. Our client base consists of large retailers <strong>and</strong> merchants in many countries
<strong>and</strong> also the Victorian <strong>and</strong> Federal governments in Australia. We have people based in both Australia <strong>and</strong>
the United Kingdom.
Of particular relevance to this inquiry, is our experience gained during work for the Transport <strong>Ticketing</strong>
Authority (TTA), a state Government Business Enterprise which has responsibility for implementing the
New <strong>Ticketing</strong> Solution for trams, buses <strong>and</strong> trains (both rural <strong>and</strong> metropolitan) across the state of
Victoria. A contactless smartcard, br<strong>and</strong>ed “myki”, will be piloted during 2007 <strong>and</strong> will replace an existing
paper ticket system.
We have been involved in the development <strong>and</strong> implementation of a Payments Strategy <strong>and</strong> a Retail
Strategy for the TTA which will contribute to minimising their costs, generating some income, <strong>and</strong>
encouraging take-up <strong>and</strong> usage by the travelling public.
As a consequence of this experience, we have been closely studying the UK transport market, with a
specific focus upon ITSO, its present status, <strong>and</strong> potential opportunities.