Karlsruhe, October 2016.
Contactless payments for National Express
INIT Innovations in Transportation – leading supplier in Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and ticketing solutions – is showcasing at Euro Bus Expo at the NEC in hall 5, booth T100 from 1 to 3 November 2016. With its fully integrated complete solution called MOBILE, INIT is able to cover the entire process of public transport operations.
Integrated end-to-end solution
At the exhibition, INIT is presenting its state-of-the-art planning software MOBILE-PLAN, which is equipped with various sophisticated optimisation algorithms and provides fast and automated timetable/duty planning to enable informed decision-making based on a solid technical foundation. This allows maximisation of vehicle output and cost saving.
INIT will also show its integrated personnel assignment software MOBILE-PERDIS, which organises the entire staff deployment process – from creating rosters to transferring data for payroll accounting. This can lead to optimised staff productivity and avoids unnecessary unused or excess hours, while the web-based gateway feature allows for maximum flexibility.
The first ITSO multi-operator ticketing system for Nottingham with fare capping…
INIT supports UK’s first fully integrated capped fare multi-modal ITSO smart ticketing scheme – with the introduction of the new Robin Hood Card in the East Midlands area of the UK. The scheme brings together a number of transport operators in the Nottingham area, and the city’s growing tram system. Other local operators are expected to join the scheme. It’s a complex scheme because it is the first ITSO-based smartcard scheme to incorporate pay-as-you-go capping across several bus operators and the tram. It has been a complex project to deliver, as it accommodates the specific requirements of the deregulated environment outside London.
INIT worked with partners: Nottingham City Council, the operators and Systra, a major transport consultancy firm to deliver the scheme. The scheme is said to have created the most advanced Oyster-like solution for smart travel in the UK outside of London
.…which is ‘driving’ successful solutions to National Express West Midlands
Based on the success in Nottingham, INIT has been awarded with a contract to deliver a new ticketing system to support Travel for West Midland’s Swift scheme and enable contactless payments for National Express West Midlands, an affiliate of Birmingham-based National Express Group – the leading public transport provider in the UK, with bus and rail lines across the world.
INIT’s contract with National Express involves the provision of ticketing solutions to 1,600 buses with driver consoles, on-board computers, ticket printers and ITSO & EMV-certified validators as well as the service provision via a hosted back-office system. In addition to fast ITSO card-based transactions, the solution enables the use of contactless bank cards for ticket payments.
Jens Mullak, managing director of INIT in the UK, said there is a "growing trend" for contactless payment around the world."I think it's a gradual process. But with the popularity of contactless bank cards and the usage of mobile phones, this will surely more and more replace cash payments. INIT’s innovative contactless payment solutions allow operators to pay contactless and/or use countless bank cards as tokens for travel, calculating the fare and fare capping in the back office."
Make sure to learn more and visit INIT in hall 5 at booth T100.