Smart Ticketing: SYSTRA Supports Nottinghams new Robin Hood Card

The new smart ticketing scheme has delivered best value for the customer. Passengers simply pay-as-they-go without planning tickets in advance. For cash single fares and the interoperable capped daily fares for all bus & tram operators in Nottingham, the scheme will bring savings to customers in the region of 10% and-20% when paid with the ’Robin Hood Card’.

It also brings all operators into line at a £3.15 fare for their own day tickets. The card is valid for travel on Nottingham City Transport, (including Pathfinder, South Notts and night buses), Trent Barton (excluding night buses and Red Arrow), Kinchbus, Linkbuses (including bus park and ride) and Nottingham Express Transit (including tram park and ride) with the remaining operators joining the scheme at a later date.

This scheme is different from London’s Oyster scheme since it needed to accommodate the deregulated environment and operators’ own tickets which can offer best value for some customers’ journeys.

SYSTRA has been involved in designing the complex system from its inception. SYSTRA Project Director Ian Robinson explains, “our experience with ITSO specifications helped create best value for customers to accommodate the plethora of ticketing options, namely cash fares only; operator-own day-ticket; an interoperable/multi-modal depending on the level of spend and trip patterns made”.

In addition to designing the system, SYSTRA has been fully-involved in the development and testing of the software with the ticketing-equipment supplier Init and ITSO system supplied by ecebs. This stage has been delivered through £2.5m funding from the Department of Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport and Better Bus Area Funds.

SYSTRA’s team has also worked closely with the operators and Nottingham City Council staff to integrate the card with other smart systems including retail and pavement-based equipment supplied by Cammax.

“The extension of NET is a proud moment for Nottingham, not to mention SYSTRA’s team we’ve worked so closely with all the players to help make this new system work as well as plan the tram system” says SYSTRA Director Dave Carter. “It has been fascinating to see how Line 1 has had a direct impact upon Nottingham’s regeneration and we look forward to the positive benefits that Lines 2 and 3 and the improved ticketing integration offered by the Robin Hood card will bring both to local communities and the economic vitality of the city.”