November 2014
Rambus Ecebs brings NFC mobile ticketing to Solent Go smart travel scheme
– South Hampshire to deploy ITSO smart ticketing for mobile customers –
Rambus Ecebs, the market-leading technology business delivering smart ticketing in many of the major transport networks in the UK, has won a contract to provide smart mobile ticketing for the new Solent Go transport scheme in South Hampshire.
Solent Go is an ITSO-compliant smart travel network set up by Solent Transport (the new name for Transport for South Hampshire & Isle of Wight Partnership. It encompasses multiple transport operators and several different modes of transport including bus, ferry and hovercraft services. It also has the potential to integrate rail services in the future.
The new service will include an option for customers to download a smart ticket product to their Solent Go smart card using their mobile phone and to read their card contents using an NFC App which has also been developed by Rambus Ecebs.
The whole process takes seconds from purchase to download and brings greater convenience for the travelling public, with no need to visit a ticket kiosk or travel centre, in essence, the customer’s own mobile phone acts as the secure ticket kiosk. They simply place their smartcard onto their mobile device where the smart ticket product is downloaded securely and is ready for immediate use.
Tom King, Smart Ticketing Development Officer at Solent Transport said: “This is an opportunity to grow the 58 million bus and ferry journeys completed in the region each year. It is a crucial component of our sustainable transport strategy for South Hampshire to encourage the use of public transport and mobile ticketing is a vital part of that incentive. Rambus Ecebs has a tried and tested mobile ticketing product that we know will be well received in South Hampshire.”
Rambus Ecebs developed its downloadable smart ticketing software to meet growing demand for cloud-based, secure ticketing schemes, which can open up lower cost smart ticketing to a wider market. Its Paragon Remote Ticket Download (RTD) software is now becoming one of its most popular as local authorities are increasingly interested in mobile ticketing solutions.
Russell McCullagh, Managing Director of Rambus Ecebs, said: “The goal of the Solent Go project is to leave a lasting legacy for the region that unlocks the full potential of the ITSO specification. One of the really exciting components of that is the ability to have mobile, web-based ticketing options for passengers – it’s what everyone expects these days and it’s what makes a smart travel network reap rewards.
“The benefits of remote ticketing are based on convenience. In the North East, passengers use smart travelcards on a pay-as-you-go basis and upload credit using NFC devices or home computers and can even do so at local shops or at Metro stations. This convenience is coming to South Hampshire and will be warmly welcomed.”
The contract increases Ecebs’ presence in the growing deployment of smart travel networks across the UK, having already won contracts to supply similar systems to some of the busiest in the country. These include London and the South East, Glasgow, Nottingham and Newcastle.