TICKETING & FARE COLLECTION
Dr Guy Boxall of Casio discusses payment and ticket issuing devices, and the arguments for integrating them versus keeping them separate.
W
ith over a billion passenger journeys each year, the efficient day-to-day running of
the train network in the UK is paramount to our personal and business lives. Road travel is becoming increasing expensive and there is no doubt that we are increasingly migrating towards rail travel.
One important aspect that the train operating companies (TOCs) have to manage is the efficiency with which they issue and check the validity of our train tickets. There are 24 TOCs that serve the UK, with approximately 9,000 ticket issuing systems and 2,500 National Rail stations.
Add to this the trains that travel to continental Europe with Eurostar, and special events such as the Olympic Games in 2012, with an additional 4 million people arriving in the UK – the task of providing a fully computerised portable ticketing system is challenging.
Casio Electronics Co Ltd is the leading supplier of hand-held ticketing terminals. For many years the company has been providing equipment to the TOCs through their partnership with Atos, the international information technology services company. Casio was chosen for the first secure retail solution, called AVANTIX Mobile, and is now on its third generation of product. Today, the AVANTIX solution uses the Casio IT-10, a rugged device designed for maximum durability, designed to withstand the harsh environment faced daily by train staff. Casio has also supplied rugged mobile devices for ticketing in many other countries, including Deutsche Bahn in Germany.
The McNulty Report in 2011 confirmed that “the vast majority of journeys on the rail network are still made using card tickets”. There is much debate given over to what ticketing will look like in the years ahead; paper tickets, contactless smart cards (eg Oyster), EMV contactless bank cards, self-print tickets and smartphone 2D barcoded paperless tickets are just some of the options; a combination of these is likely.
Over the years, Casio has been involved in many focus groups, discussing what hardware is best for the future demands of train travel mobile ticketing. Casio has built up quite an area of expertise within this vertical market and is listening very carefully to vertical needs.
Reducing the number of devices carried by the train guard is very important; maintaining an active connection to the outside world,
38 | rail technology magazine Feb/Mar 12
increasing security against data ‘attack’ or theft, and the serviceability of the equipment during a long working shift are major considerations. Increasing
throughput and
reducing transaction times are the number one objective. Future proofing is taken as a ‘granted’ requirement, allowing the asset value of any investment to be spread over many years.
The seamless, all-in-one device, including ticket issuing and payment, has been the guiding objective for many years. However, many users still believe that two separate hardware components will deliver the best working solution in future. There are still huge benefits keeping the payment terminal separate from the ticket issuing terminal. Why?
• Future Proofing: Upgrading one component is less costly and software is easier to integrate. There are many interfaces to the fulfilment mechanism to consider, including that of ITSO.
• Security: PIN Entry Device (PCI-PED) security is moving ahead very quickly. Why replace a whole hardware solution when just one component needs upgrading.
• Portability: Passengers increasingly pay by debit or credit card. Handing over the complete terminal is time consuming, can be confusing to the passenger and potentially has a security risk. Handing over a small PED for PIN entry is much more convenient. The train guard still re- tains ‘ownership’ of the main ticketing device.
• Serviceability: Maintaining component parts tend to be less costly than taking a complete ticketing solution out-of-action for regular servicing, or repairs resulting from accidental damage or vandalism. For example, if the PED is dropped, it is likely to enter tamper mode; much easier to replace with another payment terminal, rather than having to replacement the whole solution.
• Product Life: Rugged devices typically have a product life of four years with longevity of service for many years after production has ended. All-in-one mobile devices with a PCI PED payment solution are, by the very nature of the design, not as rugged, and have a shorter product life, due to changing industry standards.
In the UK, rail passengers have a wider choice of ways to purchase their rail ticket than in any other European country. It is good to see the Government investing some £45m into flexible smart ticketing and that ATOC is also working on a series of initiatives to ensure passengers have access to consistent and easy to understand information about tickets before, during and after purchase. The jury is still out on exactly where we will be in 2015, but for sure, mobile ticketing has an exciting future.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
T: 0208 450 9131 E:
bsd@casio.co.uk W:
www.casio.co.uk/mobile
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92