Where transport safety and equity converge
10/10/22, 8:30 am
How smart ticketing powers accessible systems
Travellers expect ticketing to be a time-consuming and frustrating process. The globalised world means people of all abilities are demanding a more streamlined approach.
The next generation of smart ticketing provides an opportunity to ensure your transport system is accessible, equitable and safe.
Imagine the future of ticketing
The future of ticketing in an increasingly autonomous world is unrecognisable. Gone are the days of lengthy fare updates, inconvenient top-ups at dedicated kiosks, expensive and cumbersome onboard ticketing equipment and costly bespoke solutions requiring ongoing maintenance before quickly becoming outdated.
NEC’s Smart Transport Services delivers a modern alternative with our best-of-breed smart ticketing technology. What makes our cloud-hosted solution the market leader is its modular and open system design that integrates with all standardised equipment and transport software. It encompasses electronic fare collection through to electronic charging and expenditure at merchants and retailers, plus clearing house facilities. Such facilities can support single, integrated fare systems based on a unified card or token, or they can be leveraged by multiple diverse operators.
Our systems can also accommodate contemporary payment and charging mechanisms such as Apple Pay or other mobile apps, embracing the convenience of mobile technologies as well as Integrated Circuit chip equipped contactless smartcards. This removes the need for cards and complicated top-ups.
The smarter passenger experience
Seamless
Repetitive processes are eliminated, touchpoints are reduced and queues are shortened
Efficient
Instant verification cuts the time spent on manual ID checks, reducing manpower demands and boosting capacity.
Accurate
Transactions happen in real-time so passengers can check they’ve been charged the right fare
Safe and secure
Biometrics improves security, with facial recognition detecting spoofing, and one ID making it harder to cross borders under a false identity – reducing crime and security threats
Equity in the transport experience
Smart, hands-free ticketing improves equity in transport by reducing accessibility barriers, streamlining flow through busy transit areas and serving all passengers by meeting physical, gender and social inclusivity principles.
Informed by extensive customer testing with a broad range of accessibility and advocacy groups at every step, smart ticketing must incorporate an intimate understanding of customer needs and how best to meet them. For example, seats can be reserved on booking for people with different needs, and ticketing infrastructure developed mindful of physical accessibility and colour visibility limitations.
Using data to improve services
For authorities and operators, smart ticketing provides unprecedented access to real-time information – demographic data to better understand public transport users, and a range of insights that can be leveraged to improve services.
For example, in the event of an unplanned disruption, the NEC smart ticketing system enables authorities to credit fares back to passengers in real-time. This builds passenger trust and reflects an understanding that refunds aren’t something everyone can wait for.
Airport safety with self-registration
Airports present a particularly complex ticketing environment. More people are flying, and airports are struggling to cope. With heightened security threats, passengers are required to go through multiple checks and screenings – leading to a slow, frustrating flying experience.
NEC is leading the world in airport self-registration systems, removing previous airport bottlenecks and enabling passengers to move through airports quickly, seamlessly and securely. Digital Identity (DI) enables self-registration by combining a passenger’s biometrics (facial recognition, for example) and travel information on a single record. This can then be used as a trusted identification token for the entire journey – no passport or boarding pass required.
Self-registration enables safe, seamless travel through all touchpoints including booking, check-in, dropping bags, border control and security, and shopping and leisure.
Faster, safer buses in Ahmedabad
As one of India’s fastest growing scientific and industrial hubs, Ahmedabad was among the first 20 candidates selected for the government’s Smart City Mission.
Recognising the vital importance of efficient public transport, Smart City Ahmedabad Development Limited (SCADL) partnered with NEC to implement an intelligent transport management system (ITMS). The ITMS improved the efficiency of bus services using a cashless open-loop card system for automated fare collection.
The one-stop, IoT-driven system manages bus resources, bus maintenance, transport information and personnel – collecting and analysing data to optimise resources, improve safety and boost ticket sales.
Know the limitations and the challenges
Smart ticketing has some challenges, like facial recognition and mask wearing. Some customers are also wary of the security of personal and financial data required to operate a smart ticketing system. The onus is on operators to communicate carefully to reassure passengers that the system – and their data – is compliant and secure.
The NEC smart ticketing solution
NEC provides best-of-breed smart ticketing systems to Public Transport Authorities and Public Transport Operators worldwide. Our smart ticketing solution prioritises six key aspects to enhance your transport network’s overall performance:
- Ease of use
- Rapid uptake
- Future proof
- Aggregation of services
- Clearing house functionality
- AI fraud reduction engine
Build safe, accessible and equitable transport networks for smarter cities.