The rollout of Smartcard by Centro across the West Midlands

Centro, the Integrated Transport Authority for the West Midlands, celebrated the end of our Smartcard Rollout on more than 2,200 buses across the West Midlands at the beginning of November 2010. Virtually all the buses and depots belonging to the region’s bus companies have now been fitted with new Electronic Ticket Machines (ETMs) and back office computer equipment.

Local Transport Minister Norman Baker marked the achievement at a launch event held at West Bromwich Bus Station.

Mr Baker said: “The benefits of smart ticketing are clear – quicker, easier and potentially better value journeys on trains, buses and trams.”

Smartcard recording brings in a reduction of fraud. Going forward, the use of smartcards will mean cash is not needed so there is no need to keep a variety of change.

The infrastructure installed by Centro will allow operators to introduce innovative tickets tailored to the needs of individual passengers, designed to make public transport more attractive from a cost and convenience perspective.

Smartcards issued in the Centro area will be compatible with other schemes in the UK, enabling tickets to be loaded onto them elsewhere in the future, for example a train ticket from Coventry to London, then a weekly Zone 1-2 ticket in London.

This reduces waste paper in the West Midlands as well as elsewhere. Within the West Midlands, we have a complex combination of de-regulated bus operations with significant rail coverage together with the Midland Metro tram.

Centro has already made a commitment to the introduction of ITSO Smart Ticketing before the catalyst of the introduction of free English National Concessionary Travel in 2008.

More than 450,000 cards were produced in time for the 1 April deadline. Since then, the number of concessionary cards in circulation has grown to more than 500,000.

Replacement cards are provided via our Unicard-supplied Card Management System and can either be printed in-house or alternately via the bureau service provided by ESP.

We have a very high level of satisfaction regarding card issue with many telephone calls to our concessionary ticketing team congratulating them on the very fast turnaround.

Hotlisting is in operation on buses, which is a valuable asset in ensuring that lost and stolen cards are not used inappropriately.

Our HOPS provided from ACT via our contract with Logica is now processing in excess of 300,000 concessionary travel journeys per day. A daily transfer to our analysis system ensures we have the information available to carry out concessionary reimbursement.

A key benefit of the analysis system is that, for the first time, we are able to understand the journey patterns of concessionary travellers. Since every concessionary journey is recorded, operators have confidence in their concessionary reimbursement. We are now working with operators in tracking data through the system so that they fully understand all elements of the solution.

In addition to providing Back Office components into the project, Logica also provided the integration service to ensure that all of the components of this complex implementation worked together.

From the inception of the project right through to these later stages, we benefited from the advice and support received from MVA Consultancy that have helped us navigate our way through some of the trickier obstacles.

Partnership working

One of the most successful elements of the project to date has been our partnership working.

There were many times when it wasn’t possible to see any break between the operator, Centro and the suppliers as we all worked as one team.

From a very early stage all parties to our project worked to an ethos that it was not relevant why an issue had occurred only that it needed resolving so we could move forward.

Although the project has been complex, this approach has meant that every item was worked through individually.

We have developed excellent working relationships with suppliers and operators to meet the challenges raised in this cuttingedge project.

For example, when ETMs didn’t work at a certain depot, we worked with the operator and discovered that the radio system the ETM needed to talk to did not know that the depot name had changed 10 years previously! This then required the suppliers to come up with a solution…and a lot of patience all round!

Understanding that buses do not stop at county boundaries, we have liaised with neighbouring shire authorities to make the travelling experience as seamless as possible. For example, we worked with Worcestershire County Council to equip all buses at the Redditch depot with ETMs.

Unlike London, buses are deregulated in the West Midlands. We are therefore working with operators to develop a ticketing strategy based on the additional functionality that Smartcard delivers.

London Midland, the main rail operator in the West Midlands, is rolling out an ITSO smartcard scheme. We are working with them to ensure a joined-up ticketing approach.

Challenges

The Wayfarer 200 platform had not been deployed in number in a full ITSO format before the Centro project. This meant it was necessary to be sure that the ETM provided quality and was a reliable solution for operators in the West Midlands, and involved all aspects of the ETM solution being tested by the Centro team.

It has been important for operators to understand that only they can sign off the final solution as being suitable for their particular organisation, and that routes etc have been set up correctly and Centro has helped operators understand the significance of their role.

This has continued after operators have had the equipment installed. Inevitably, within a project with this level of complexity, there have been instances where not everything has been operating as intended.

In order for solutions to be found it is essential that as many details are provided as possible. The Centro team has been instrumental in assisting operators to be as detailed as possible with their reporting of any issues.

The whole testing process and preparation for rollout meant it was as straightforward as possible as no manual amendments to the ETM have been required – reducing the potential for an issue rise. On-bus equipment At the heart of our Centro ITSO smartcard scheme for most operators is the Wayfarer 200 ETMs developed and supported by Parkeon in the UK. We took the decision at the commence – ment of the project that we would take the time and effort to build up the skills of the internal team rather than rely on external assistance exclusively. This was partly driven by a desire to achieve best value during the implementation, but primarily was intended to provide skilled resource for Smartcard developments going forward.

Before any on-bus equipment was deployed, extensive testing was completed in order to show that it would provide a suitable solution. This followed a very formal test programme including a significant number of acceptance tests. The experience of our in-house team meant that as far as possible nothing was left to chance within the testing environment.

The objective of the testing programme was to develop a solution suitable for all operators within the West Midlands irrespective of their size. We recognised from other implementations the importance of a standard solution being in place for all operators. A ‘testing wheel’ was created by one of Centro’s testing team that allowed nearly 500 smart transactions to be recorded per hour on multiple ETMs. A suite of spreadsheets was used to interrogate the xml to ensure each card in the bulk test had been read once and once only. Initial testing did identify areas where Parkeon were able to enhance the solution.

Once we were satisfied, the solution was ready for deployment and we then moved at full pace through operator implementations. An operator representative then checked the final configuration including routes, fares and available tickets.

This signed-off build was then used as the blueprint for other ETMs to be checked against. Every ETM was tested by the Centro team before it was deployed on-bus. Testing including script testing designed to exercise all parts of the functionality.

More than 2,100 buses were rolled out in under five months, a period of intense effort with at least one significant rollout every weekend and sometimes more than one operator rolled out at the same time.

Even though testing had been completed to a very high standard, actual rollouts are never completely straightforward. This necessitated the Parkeon team sometimes working late into the night supported by both Centro teams and staff from operators. The combination of planning, testing and team working resulted in every rollout going successfully without significant issues.

Our Smartcard team operate a Managed Service. This allows smaller operators a way into Smart Ticketing without needing a high level of technical knowledge. The Managed Service provides front-line support for these operators together with services such as setting up new routes and changing fares.

This has been very well received and has lead to operators being able to take advantage of the introduction of the equipment that might previously have been discouraged.

The on-board Smartcard readers are programmed to accept the free national concessionary passes for older and eligible blind and disabled people.

Holders simply place their card on the reader when they board and wait for the green light to show or the audible beep to be heard.

Although only holders of concessionary passes have to use the Smartcard readers, at the moment the successful installation of the machines on the region’s buses will now enable new kinds of smart ticketing to be introduced.

These will simplify the ticketing process and make public transport even more convenient.

Now that the buses are smart we can press on with work to introduce a West Midlands Smartcard. This will enable passengers to preload their card with cash which is then deducted as it is used on the public transport network, regardless of which company’s service they get on.

Having virtually completed the bus rollout, we are now in the process of procuring handheld ETMs for use by conductors on-board the trams.

As well as providing the conductors with new state-of-the-art equipment, this implementation will allow the introduction of multi-modal Smart-ticketing.

Local rail operator, London Midland, also has a commitment to introduce Smartcard technology on the West Midlands rail network as part of its franchise agreement, and Centro is working with them to ensure their system is complimentary and provides an integrated solution to passengers.

Although the implementation of any Smartcard project is always going to be technically complex, the success of our implementation has been our focus on the passenger rather than the underlying technology. This focus has resulted in a solution that has been well received by operators, their drivers and passengers alike. As a full member of ITSO, we are very aware of the need to ensure that our scheme fully integrates with others in order to provide the passenger with the simplest and best solution.

As the current Chairman of the ITSO Licensed Operators Group, I have been very well placed to ensure we have learned lessons from other schemes, and issues we have successfully resolved have been picked up by others.

This inter-scheme working is key to ensuring ITSO smart ticketing is successful across all areas and modes.

Where necessary, we have found that ITSO have been very responsive in assisting us.

Wider working

It has not always been a straightforward project but it has been fascinating and rewarding.

One of our key achievements has undoubtedly been the increase in our knowledge and experience. We don’t claim to have all the answers, but have now developed a wide range of experience and skills in many areas related to Smartcard. We believe there are efficiencies and economies of scale that can be achieved by working together on Smart initiatives.

We recently extended a procurement for Cards, Card Production and Printers into a framework arrangement that allows other authorities or operators to utilise our framework agreement potentially avoiding procurement efforts. We believe that this is likely to result in less work and lower costs.

Centro took a stand at the Euro Bus Expo at the NEC in the first week of November 2010. The purpose was to meet with those involved in transport to identify where we might work together. Over the three days, we identified significant opportunities where joint working would be appropriate including the sharing of expertise and experience together with economies of sharing systems, equipment or communication links. This will ensure passengers from other areas are able to benefit from Smart ticketing.

It would be wrong to say our rollout has been straightforward and pain-free. However, our team-working and our main strategy of test, test and test again have undoubtedly given rise to success.

The same approach will be adopted as we take Smart Ticketing in the West Midlands to the next level and as we develop wider cooperation links.

For details of how to contact the Centro team for further details of wider working, please visit www.centro.org.uk/smartsolutions.

About the Author

Michael Wevill

Before joining Centro, Michael worked for HLB Kidsons, a national firm of Chartered Accountants. In his role as Financial Systems Manager he designed, authored and implemented large financial systems. Since joining Centro in 2002, Michael first fulfilled the role of Systems Administration Manager responsible for the ongoing development and maintenance of the systems used to determine concessionary reimbursement. More recently, Michael has project managed all aspects of Centro’s successful Smartcard programme including the provision of Electronic Ticket Machines onto the West Midland’s 2,500 buses. The role includes the implementation of the supporting systems covering all aspects of the Smartcard implementation. As Chairman of ILOG – the ITSO licensed Operator Group, and recently appointed to the ITSO Board, Michael continues to be instrumental in ensuring that lessons learnt from other Smartcard rollouts are shared as widely as possible.