Britain is currently embracing a ‘SMART’ ticketing revolution as regions all the way from Bristol to Nottinghamshire turn to SMART ticketing in a bid to make it easier for passengers to pay for tickets and reduce queues at busy transport hubs.
What is SMART Ticketing?
SMART ticketing replaces traditional paper tickets with a card that store a travel ticket on a microchip. These smartcards enable passengers of public transport to seamlessly hop on and off buses, trams or trains without having to use traditional payment systems like paper tickets paid for with cash.
The contactless smartcard is normally scanned and topped up by the transport operator either via a ticket vending machine, speeding up boarding times which helps improve overall efficiency and satisfaction in the public transport network.
Cashless society
The UK is also the midst of a payment revolution. Just over a decade ago 62% of all payments were still made using cash. By July last year this had dropped to less than half and this figure continues to fall.
According to a recent study by Moneymailme, as many as 80% of young adults don’t carry any cash at all meaning that transport operators, local councils and other stakeholders need to come up with new and innovative solutions to this problem.
Leading the digital payment revolution is the rise of contactless spending, which has risen at a stark rate in recent years with Britain leading the market in Europe in terms of money spent via contactless.
Furthermore, more and more of us are using alternative payment methods like Apple Pay so it’s important that councils and operators have the proper infrastructure in place to accept these new forms of payment: step in SMART ticket vending machine like the ones manufactured by West Yorkshire firm Cammax. These SMART ticketing machines can be fully customised and integrated with ITSO technology to enable seamless travel across all public transport services.
Real Time Information
SMART ticket machines can also integrate Real Time Information (RTI) and passengers where schemes have been rolled out have responded well to the introduction of this technology that has helped strengthened trust in the bus service.
Real-time information systems provide passengers with estimated arrival times across a range of different platforms. The information is driven by location-based systems, for example, GPS tracking devices on vehicles, increasingly utilised by bus operators. The information can be delivered in various different forms, including via information screens at stops, transport operators’ websites, text message alert services or third-party apps.
The Future
As national government attempts to encourage more people to ditch their cars in favour of public transport, investment, stakeholder collaboration and a desire to build a public transport system across Warrington Borough council fit for modern day purposes and the community is essential.
With SMART ticketing payment machines offering simple to use interfaces, robust exteriors and a range of modern services, will Warrington Borough Council follow in the footsteps of Leeds, York and many other regions in the vicinity in offering a new and better public transport experience for all?
