The first multi-purse smart card with an ITSO (*) enabled pay-as-you-go
travel purse has been launched in Bolton as a result of a successful
partnership between Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive
(GMPTE), Bolton Council, Arriva buses, Parkeon, ACT and sQuid - the
eMoney payments network.
The multi-purse smart card, which enables card holders to access Council
services, use an eMoney retail purse and ITSO enabled pay-as-you-go bus
travel purse, is a significant breakthrough and a UK first.
Card holders can now pay for bus travel on over 30 Arriva bus routes in
Bolton with their card, in addition to accessing Council services and
shopping at local participating stores. Children in Bolton with the
Council issued BSmart card can now easily pay for their bus journey to
school, entrance to a leisure centre, pay for a snack, take a book out
at the library and then get the bus home, without ever needing to carry
cash. Parents can top up their child’s card online and view their
transactions should they want to.
The pay-as-you-go transit purse has been specially adapted by sQuid to
work on any ITSO smart card and provides a secure platform for customers
and operators to make electronic transactions.
“The addition of a transit purse on our Council issued smart cards is an
added value service to our community,” said Councilor Linda Thomas of
Bolton Council.
This is something not even Transport for London’s Oyster card has been
able to achieve, but has been successfully launched in Bolton to better
understand the potential for a wider rollout in Manchester as part of
the overall fares and ticketing strategy.
“This is an exciting development in the smart card journey,” says Phil
Stone, MD Arriva North West. “For the first time ever, passengers will
be able to make online top ups to ITSO cards for pay-as-you-go travel on
Arriva buses in Bolton. It adds a completely new level of flexibility to
bus travel.”
The project has been led by GMPTE and Bolton Council who are supporting
the Government strategy for smart ticketing. Councilor Keith Whitmore,
Chairman of Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority says:
“This is part of GMITA’s aspiration to make public transport integrated,
attractive and easier to use. An effective, efficient and reliable smart
ticketing system is a key element of achieving this aim.”
* ITSO is an organisation, which has set about creating a common
specification and suitable standards between UK Passenger Transport
Authorities for inter-operable smart card ticketing.
GMPTE
GMPTE (Greater Manchester Passenger Transport
Executive) implements the policies of Greater Manchester Integrated
Transport Authority. The Authority is responsible for overseeing the
provision of public transport in the county and is made up of 33
Councilors from the ten Councils in Greater Manchester. www.gmpte.com
Bolton Council
The council works with local authorities
through the Greater Manchester Local Transport Plan to improve transport
across the region. www.bolton.gov.uk
Arriva
Arriva is one of the largest private sector providers
of passenger transport in Europe, employing more than 44,000 people and
providing more than one billion passenger journeys across 12 European
Countries every year. Arriva plc has placed orders for its UK bus
business which will see more than 500 new vehicles come into service
during 2009. The buses, representing an investment of some £70 million,
are being deployed across the group’s UK businesses in North East and
North West England, the Midlands, South East and Southern England,
Scotland, Wales and London. www.arriva.co.uk www.arrivabus.co.uk
Parkeon
World leader in integrated ticketing systems for
buses, Parkeon has created the intelligent console for drivers, an
innovative concept that allows the integration and management of all
on-board functions, such as ticketing, video surveillance or
geo-localisation. Parkeon has already supplied more than 400 000 sets of
ticketing equipment and peripheral devices, thus becoming the biggest
supplier of bus systems in the world. www.parkeon.com
ACT
Applied Card Technologies Ltd (ACT) is an independent UK
company specialising in the design, development, installation and
operation of smart card transaction systems. It provides solutions to
the Retail and Hospitality, Transport, and Tourism markets worldwide. www.card.co.uk
sQuid
sQuid is the next-generation smart card payments
network for ‘the little things in life’. Its unique pre-pay system
enables multi-functional smart cards, combining: eMoney retail payments,
ITSO (Transit) schemes, council smart card initiatives (such as Bolton’s
BSmart and cashless school dinners), plus retail loyalty programmes
(like Coffee Republic’s loyalty card). Unlike banks’ credit and debit
cards, sQuid offers universal access to smart card payments, becoming
the leading next-generation payment platform in the UK, with ambitious
plans to launch eMoney and transit schemes in developing countries,
including Africa and India. www.squidcard.com
Armadillo Consulting Group
Lloyd Mullenger, +44 (0)203 195 6727
Senior
Partner
lloyd@armadillocg.com