[PR] Hewlett-Packard wins Integrated Ticketing Scheme contract

Sulmac

From the RPA via the NTA:

ITS (SMARTCARD): SIGNIFICANT CONTRACT AWARDED

Railway Procurement Agency has announced that the contract to operate the Integrated Ticketing Scheme (ITS) has been awarded to Hewlett-Packard Ireland. The contract will provide a number of key services required to operate and administer the scheme. HP Ireland will be responsible for customer support services including provision of a telephone customer support helpdesk, back office business processing, an ITS website, and the supply of smart cards. They will also be responsible for the provision & management of a smart card point-of-sale (pos) network so customers can buy smart cards, top them up, and buy a range of products in retail outlets. The point-of-sale service is being provided by Payzone as a sub-contractor to HP and will be available at over 400 retail outlets across Dublin.

The Integrated Ticketing Scheme will provide a pay-as-you-go system on re-usable smart cards as well as holding weekly, monthly and annual tickets for regular commuters on Dublin Bus, Luas, Irish Rail, Bus Éireann and privately operated services. The Integrated Ticketing Scheme is undergoing rigorous testing this year prior to a phased roll out, in line with international best practice. In addition to staff testing of the systems, the intensive testing program will include piloting ITS in a “live” customer environment.

This is a significant milestone in the delivery of the ITS project. Project Director, Tim Gaston expressed satisfaction with this major development. “We are delighted to be able to announce the award of this contract to HP. They have a proven track record, and I’m looking forward to working together with them to deliver ITS for public transport users in Dublin”, said Gaston; “this contract builds on the good work already underway through IBM Ireland who are providing the back office computer systems to support the scheme.”
David O’Callaghan, Chairman of the Integrated Ticketing Project Board, which oversees the project also welcomed this significant development. “The introduction of integrated smart cards will be one of the most important developments in public transport in Ireland and the award of this contract goes a considerable way to achieving that”, said O’Callaghan.

Ends.

http://www.nationaltransport.ie/downloads/smartcard_contract_awarded.pdf

Zebra3

How many years late is this? :rolleyes:

And any chance the RPA and Irish Rail can show each others routes on their maps on trams and trains so people actually know how to make the most out of public transport?

JHMEG

It's only taken 100 years award the contract, but at least HP should be well up to the job.

Sulmac

JHMEG wrote: »

It's only taken 100 years award the contract, but at least HP should be well up to the job.

A bit less than 100 years, but it'll be at least ten years since it was first announced before it's available to the public:

New £25m ticket plan announced for Dublin public transport
Tuesday, 21 November 2000 20:55

The Cabinet has agreed a £25m plan to provide a system of integrating ticketing for public transport in the greater Dublin area. The system, which will be operational in 2002 (:rolleyes:), will allow commuters to board trains and buses using a card scanning method somewhat similar to that used at super-market checkouts. The Minister for Public Enterprise, Mary O'Rourke, said that the new system would lead to cheaper fares for multiple-journeys as well as allowing faster access to public transport.

The Minister for Public Enterprise tonight announced a major extension to the Nitelink bus service in Dublin prior to Christmas. Speaking in the Dáil, Minister O'Rourke said that the expanded service would see four new routes added to the existing 16, many of which are being extended with suburban pick up points along the way.

Buses will leave at 20-minute intervals, instead of every hour, and will run between 12.30am and 4.30am in the morning. The minister said that the changes would allow Dublin Bus to carry approximately 10,000 passengers each night. The new service will operate six days a week, from November 30 to January 6, except for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. It will then be continued at weekends throughout the year.

Story from RTÉ News:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2000/1121/nitelink.html

Also, the weekday Nitelink.

snappieT

I thought IBM had been working on this for years already. I honestly can't believe that the contract has just been awarded. I sure hope there's a (reasonable) due date on this contract!

robd

snappieT wrote: »

I thought IBM had been working on this for years already. I honestly can't believe that the contract has just been awarded. I sure hope there's a (reasonable) due date on this contract!

IBM won the contract some time ago to implement it. I believe they are coming to the end of implementation. This is the contract to run system. As far as I remember, the latest date system must be fully operational is end March 2011.

BluntGuy

I'm sick of the self-congratulatory "announcements" and "milestones". I want the bloody thing up and running. :mad:

After a decade flapping around like headless chickens cobbling this long over-due scheme together, they have no right to be patting themselves on the back until the service is actually nearly ready to go live.

T Corolla

Does this system allow you to use any means of public transport eg If i work in leixlip and live in Athlone does it allow me to get the train from Athlone to Hazelhatch bus from Hazelhatch to Leixlip and if I want to go home to Athlone I can get the train from Leixlip to Maynooth and board a Bus Eireann bus to Athlone. Is this correct thanks for reading

monument

From the RPA:

ITS Smart Card: Commercial Bus Equipment Contract Awarded

Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) is pleased to announce that the contract to supply ticketing equipment to private bus operators who wish to participate in the Integrated Ticketing Scheme has been awarded to Mapflow Limited. RPA is actively encouraging private bus operators to take part in the scheme through information forums and other initiatives.

Integrated Ticketing will provide a pay-as-you-go system on re-usable smart cards as well as supporting weekly, monthly and annual tickets for regular commuters on Dublin Bus, Luas, Irish Rail, Bus Éireann and privately operated services. The Scheme is undergoing rigorous testing this year prior to a phased roll out, in line with international best practice. In addition to staff testing of the systems, the intensive testing programme will include piloting ITS in a “live” customer environment.

Gerry Mullins, Chief Executive of the Coach Tourism & Transport Council, who represents the private bus operators on the Integrated Ticketing Board said: "We are delighted that the contract has gone to Mapflow and that production of equipment for the private bus operators can begin. ITS will bring multiple benefits to public transport users and we are delighted to be part of it."

Richard Bryce, Mapflow’s Executive Chairman said: “We are delighted to be chosen by the RPA to deliver the integrated ticketing solution for private bus operators in the GDA. By partnering with Avego to deliver this solution, we are providing a world-leading technology which combines advanced ticketing and reporting capabilities with the flexibility required to meet the diverse technical and commercial needs of bus operators both large and small.”

AlekSmart

Gerry Mullins, Chief Executive of the Coach Tourism & Transport Council, who represents the private bus operators on the Integrated Ticketing Board said: "We are delighted that the contract has gone to Mapflow and that production of equipment for the private bus operators can begin. ITS will bring multiple benefits to public transport users and we are delighted to be part of it."

Richard Bryce, Mapflow’s Executive Chairman said: “We are delighted to be chosen by the RPA to deliver the integrated ticketing solution for private bus operators in the GDA. By partnering with Avego to deliver this solution, we are providing a world-leading technology which combines advanced ticketing and reporting capabilities with the flexibility required to meet the diverse technical and commercial needs of bus operators both large and small.”

Hmmmmm....Mapflow and Avego.

Am I missing something here or does this introduce yet another set of "systems" which have to be integrated with the Iarnrod Eireann/Bus Eireann/Dublin Bus systems ?

The Dublin Bus Wayfarer based system is by by far and away the most utilized of all the systems and it is currently in-service.
Most,if not all of the Private Sector Bus & Coach operators would be familiar with Wayfarer products and backup.
This reads suspiciously like the Privates will be required to invest in some form of Mapflow/Avego equipment,simply to be different from the Dominant Companies ?

I`m not certain that the Dublin region Private Operators can offer enough economies of scale to allow for an affordable production run.

If the Mapflow/Avego equipment is more expensive than the tried and tested Wayfarer items then will the RPA be subsidising those operators who decide to specify it ?

antoinolachtnai

Despite the benefits of scale they must have, I understand that the parkeon/wayfarer equipment is not particularly cheap and that firm appears not particularly willing to service smaller operators. It does have its drawbacks too. It is a fine system in its own way, but it has major limitations in scope. The architecture and scope of the Avego/Mapflow system is much greater. (For example, it can do things like give a red light to the driver warning him not to leave the stop until the departure time has been reached. It can provide a whole pile of metrics. It has features like advance ticket sales whilst the vehicle is in motion.)

The Parkeon/wayfarer system also cannot activate Internet top-ups or Internet product purchases. If you buy an Internet top-up you will have to bring it to your local shop or luas/train station (or indeed, your local friendly private bus operator) in order to have the top-up activated.

I am not here to speak for the RPA but there was a tender for this and I understand the RPA was very happy that they had gotten the best deal they could get.

Strategically, it would make sense for RPA to have two sets of vendors for bus equipment in the equation, although I don't think that was a consideration in the decision.

The RPA is paying for the initial tranche of equipment for private operators.

EDIT: It's also great that an Irish company got this, although this was not a consideration in the award.

AlekSmart

The RPA is paying for the initial tranche of equipment for private operators.

Excellent post antoin.
Do we have any idea as to the extent of the "initial tranche" ?

There is still to my mind a strong question as to the actual level of integration which the two systems will be capable of or even allowed to have ?

antoinolachtnai

I don't know, depends on uptake really. But what you are getting at is that it will not be an enormous number compared to db, and you are right.

But to look at it another way, the number of machines will not be an awful lot less than the number Irish rail and Luas have from their vendor.

The tech architecture does not require the ticketing platforms to be integrated as such. The way the systems are linked is that they all talk to the same back office, use the same card reader hardware and card and purse.

You are quite correct that this is a complex integration job. There are really no guarantees to be had on the implementation time for that.

It is important to understand that ITS is a technical platform to provide an epurse and various kinds of tickets on a smartcard. It is not a fare scheme or a revenue sharing scheme.

The smartcard itself is not a ticket. It is a vessel which can contain a number of types of ticket, as well as credit.

On the business issue of integration of actual tickets, Dublin Bus and cie generally are refusing in principle to even negotiate on introducing cross operator season tickets or daily tickets. I think this is unfortunate and shortsighted because the DB Public services are the heart of Dublin transport. I also think it is wrong (and unlawful) of them.

paulm17781

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

Dublin Bus and cie generally are refusing in principle to even negotiate on introducing cross operator season tickets or daily tickets.

Why are the DoT giving them a choice?

AlekSmart

Why are the DoT giving them a choice?

A very good question Paulm17781.

My reading of many Acts of the Oireachtas and particularly the Statutory Instruments (SI`s) which are actually used to apply the contents of the various Acts is that the relevant Minister of the day has serious powers to enforce the Governments will.

This can be read on many documents as...."At the Ministers sole Discretion"..."As may be directed by the Minister" ...."The Minister may instruct " etc etc.

However,in the past few Minister for anything appear to have had the self-confidence to pursue such a line.

The Integrated Ticketing issue appears to me to be one area which would have benefited greatly from some firm,single minded decision making and implimentation....Is it too late one might ask ???

antoinolachtnai

The Public Service Contract which the CIE companies are party to and under which they receive funding for PSO services requires them to integrate with other passenger services without discrimination. (See http://www.nationaltransport.ie/psc.html, clause 3.4)

AlekSmart

The Public Service Contract which the CIE companies are party to and under which they receive funding for PSO services requires them to integrate with other passenger services without discrimination. (See http://www.nationaltransport.ie/psc.html, clause 3.4)

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