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

Transport Committee: Evidence Ev 175
What can be learned from the experiences of areas such as London <strong>and</strong> Scotl<strong>and</strong> where smartcard technology
is already in place?
36. Experience from existing smartcard schemes has shown that smartcards can be both popular with
the travelling public <strong>and</strong> eYcient in transport terms. The Department for Transport is currently conducting
research reviewing existing schemes to underst<strong>and</strong> what has been achieved, <strong>and</strong> to provide advice for future
implementations.
37. London’s Oystercard, which predates ITSO, is the largest smartcard system in the UK which now
has 10 million cards. TfL’s strategy in winning public acceptance for Oyster has been to link its convenience
as a product with diVerential fares between paper <strong>and</strong> smart tickets. It is also widely available from both
transport <strong>and</strong> non transport outlets. TfL have exploited many eYciencies of the technology, reducing
dem<strong>and</strong> on ticket oYce staV <strong>and</strong> crowding pressure in ticket halls, freeing up ticketing staV to help
passengers out in the station.
38. One of the reasons for Oyster’s rapid success is that it was developed for a limited geographical area
under the control of a single Authority. It was developed for the Underground but now covers the TfL
network. Experience has shown how important it is to interoperate with mainline rail ticketing. London is
central to the transport network, so any integrated ticketing solution should continue to embrace rail
because of the high proportion of journeys which begin, end or pass through London.
39. Scotl<strong>and</strong> has opted for ITSO st<strong>and</strong>ard technology, preferring an open system (where there is a choice
of suppliers) to bespoke systems. Choices <strong>and</strong> interoperability are seen as very important issues moving
forward. The implementation is being done entirely at the Scottish Executive’s expense. The Scottish free
concession scheme generates about 160 million journeys per annum, with a budget for 2006–07 of £159
million, <strong>and</strong> smartcards are seen as a key tool in helping to prevent fraud.
40. The Department for Transport has worked closely with scheme promoters to learn best practise for
smartcard deployment. The NoWcard scheme has been very successful in developing a partnership between
a series of District Councils <strong>and</strong> Local Authorities which benefit from economies of scale <strong>and</strong> agreed phasing
of rollout across the bus fleet. Experience in Scotl<strong>and</strong> also showed we must plan a phased rollout of
equipment on the bus fleet, allow time to iron out bugs <strong>and</strong> gain support from bus operators. We supported
academic research through the University of Newcastle <strong>and</strong> the University of Westminster which separately
considered the use of smartcard data to assess travel behaviour <strong>and</strong> the implications for transport planning.
A separate study, carried out by Newcastle University for DfT, produced a good practice guide for dem<strong>and</strong>
responsive transport services using telematics which considered the potential to link smartcard technologies
with dem<strong>and</strong> responsive transport services, helping to integrate them into the wider transport provision.
41. We need to be careful to learn from existing schemes but not to fall into the trap of assuming what
works in one situation will work else where. Early schemes were designed to be fit for purpose for the job
in h<strong>and</strong> but may not be scaleable.
Revenue Protection <strong>and</strong> The Powers of Ticket Inspectors
Is the legal framework within which ticket inspectors function appropriate?
42. We are not aware of any serious limitations in the powers within which ticket inspectors function.
The Railway Byelaws (which came into operation on 7 July 2005) have existed in a broadly similar form for
many years, <strong>and</strong> the Government believes that these byelaws are both reasonable <strong>and</strong> fit for purpose. The
byelaws include amongst other things a requirement for passengers to buy a ticket before they travel
wherever ticket facilities exist, <strong>and</strong> to give their name <strong>and</strong> address if asked by an authorised person (which
might include a ticket inspector), if reasonably suspected of breaching any of the byelaws. The byelaws
require a person reasonably believed to be in breach of any byelaw to leave railway premises if asked by an
authorised person. If the person fails to desist or leave the premises, they may be removed using reasonable
force. Many inspectors have been trained on the Police <strong>and</strong> Criminal Evidence Act, <strong>and</strong> where intent to
avoid payment of their fare can be proven, passengers can be prosecuted under the bylaws or under section
5 of the Regulation of Railways Act 1889. The National Rail Conditions of Carriage forms the basis of the
contract between a passenger <strong>and</strong> the train operators, <strong>and</strong> these have been approved by the Secretary of
State.
43. Section 130 of the Railways Act 1993 (as amended) allows the Secretary of State to make regulations
regarding the charging of financial penalties (“Penalty Fares”) to passengers unable to show a valid ticket
when asked. The Railways (Penalty Fares) Regulations 1994 (SI 1994/576, as amended), made under the
Act, in turn allowed the Rail Regulator to make Penalty Fares Rules. The function of making Rules was
transferred first to the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) by the Transport Act 2000 <strong>and</strong> then back to the
Secretary of State by the Railways Act 2005. The Secretary of State has inherited the SRA’s Penalty Fares
Rules 2002 <strong>and</strong> Penalty Fares Policy document.
44. All train operators wishing to charge penalty fares must submit a penalty fares scheme to the
Secretary of State for approval. Approval will be given if the scheme meets the st<strong>and</strong>ards set out in the policy
document.