ITSO welcomes rail ticketing consultation

11 May 2018

ITSO welcomes the announcement that the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has started a public consultation aimed at making rail ticketing easier and more cost effective, part of its objectives in delivering the Smart Ticketing on National Rail (STNR) programme.

ITSO on rail

Steve Wakeland, ITSO CEO, says: “It is fantastic that the consultation process is underway. The ever-growing passenger population needs a more efficient and up-to-date experience. We offer the only nationwide, interoperable smart ticketing scheme across all modes of public transport and our secure technology is already in place across a large part of the UK’s railway network. ITSO is well-placed to work with other transport operating companies to enable them to implement smarter ticketing technology.”

With ticket readers, ticket vending machines, gates and back office systems already part of the ITSO-certified infrastructure, the company is now bringing all the benefits of its national smartcard to the passenger’s mobile device with the launch of ITSO on Mobile.

“ITSO on Mobile will support the government’s objectives to simplify ticketing by ensuring an instant, secure and seamless ticketing experience for passengers,” continues Wakeland. “By using ITSO on Mobile with one of the leading global wallet providers, passengers will be able to plan journeys, buy tickets and travel without the need for paper tickets, a payment card or a ticket machine. With the infrastructure already in place, operators do not need to invest heavily in new equipment or back-end systems.

“People want to buy travel in the same way that they buy other daily goods and services. ITSO on Mobile will make ticketing a quicker, easier and more seamless daily process for the travelling public.”

ITSO on Mobile

Like all existing ITSO smartcard solutions, the new mobile technology will provide strong security, ensuring the safety of transaction data. ITSO on Mobile is compatible with all current ITSO smartcard infrastructure and will reduce cash handling costs along with costs involved with ticket and card estate management, making adoption and rollout a simple and cost-effective option for operators.