ITSO Good
Almex is an international provider of ticket systems used for most modes of public travel. Almex products have a proven track record worldwide including many major European cities. Their extensive experience drives the development of the new range of ITSO compliant products, and the UK public transport market is starting to benefit from the significant commitment Almex’s parent company has made to the development of smart card technologies.
“We’ve been committed to ITSO since the beginning in the late nineties,” says Tony Emery, Advanced Development Manager for ALMEX. “For us, ITSO brings huge benefits through standardisation and we are leading the push to full certification. As one of the pioneers in the development of ITSO compliant products, ALMEX has been able to highlight specific technical issues within the ITSO specification, and any issues with the testing process.
“ITSO isn’t an end-to-end specification and Almex have been part of the concerted effort analysing the gaps and how they can be filled to ensure a fully functioning end-to-end solution,” adds Emery.
The organisations biggest ITSO project and investment so far has been the national concessionary scheme for Scotland.
“This will be the largest ITSO scheme in operation anywhere,” says Alistair Aitken, Sales Manager at ALMEX. “We’re supplying 50 per cent of the point of sale terminals (POST) in Scotland and that project is giving us a great deal of valuable experience of the whole ITSO world. It is important for us to understand and anticipate the requirements that operators will have, after all they are still the end user of our product. We’re also being exposed for the first time to full end-to-end ITSO testing which really reassures us that the investment has paid off.”
“The importance of the Scottish scheme is the size of it,” adds Emery. “providing the first large scale test of the ITSO architecture".
The ITSO specification enables full interoperability for the passenger, because the cards can be used anywhere across different modes of travel. In the future, it will allow passengers to board a train, catch a connecting bus and never have to stop their journey or purchase an additional ticket, as the ITSO standard applies across all forms of transport.
The specification also encourages competition between suppliers in the hardware market, driving a better deal for local authorities. The standard means transport authorities can be confident when choosing from a range of suppliers which are all ITSO compliant.
“In the past people inevitably had their own ideas about how a scheme should be implemented.” says Emery. “But ITSO gives us a comprehensive standard covering travel product definition, reader behaviour, security and data messaging. The products we deliver are all tested for compliance with this standard removing any of the uncertainty associated with previous procurement.”
When an ITSO scheme is running properly, the passenger experiences a straightforward and simple process. However, for the schemes to work properly there needs to be extensive agreement in the background supporting the technological capability.
“The passenger should not notice anything in the way the system operates , but there has to be alignment between all the schemes in the background. That way the Sales Terminal on, say, the bus you are boarding is already privy to relevant events carried out in the wider system and allows for seamless travel,” says Aitken.
Travel is central to the ITSO standard and the technology supports most of the common contactless smart cards including the familiar Mifare 1K, 4K, Ultralite, Oyster and microprocessor based products.
However, the ITSO vision expects the ITSO travel products to be loaded onto cards providing other services.
“You could put an ITSO ‘shell’ on a student card that enables access to library services or school meals, for example,” says Emery. “There are also schemes emerging that have aspirations surrounding the citizens’ card and travel could sit very comfortably with these products.
“Further, ITSO uses the generic term ‘customer media’ suggesting that it could actually be something other that the familiar card, such as a mobile phone. The specification is very open to future platforms and developments.”
“Another advantage for operators is the appropriation,” says Aitken. “Up until now there has always been an issue with the accuracy and reliability of the recording of concessionary travel provided. The ITSO system should transform reimbursement.”
In the ticketing business, the hardware supplier is seen as the primary point of contact. This central function allows Almex to work with local authorities, providing the ideal solution for their ticketing needs. This primary contact role is enabled by ALMEX’s comprehensive range of products.
“We have a hand held product that is being certified by ITSO and we have various vending machines. We are a one-stop-shop for all the ticketing requirements,” says Aitken.
Products include stationary ticket vending machines, ticket printers for bus and tram as well as kiosk solutions, information screens and mobile ticket vending devices supplemented by back office solutions and customer specific software developments: Almex.optima is a revolutionary new design, delivering Windows flexibility to on bus ticketing systems. It is easily integrated into the driver’s workspace. Key characteristics of the hardware are its functionality and robust construction.
Almex.compact and Almex.mini are designed for passenger operated self-service ticket sales on busses and trains. They are individually configurable due to modular design allowing paper- and e-ticketing. They accepts all conventional payment methods and are also suitable for stationary applications.
Almex.mobile is the latest generation of portable ticket vending systems wearing the Almex brand. It is based on the open platform Windows CE.net like the almex.optima. This is a versatile hand-held ticketing solution which supports the common variations of non-cash payment, ticket sales and additional applications.
Almex.smartfare allows for electronic ticketing. Regardless of the vehicle‘s technical set up, it can be configured for stand-alone operation or interaction with modern on-board computers and control systems. Almex.smartfare handles everything from driver-operated ticket sales to the check-in / check-out system, ISO 14443A/B/mifare, ISO 15693 or Logic cards and software or security module encrypted transaction data. It is based on Windows CE .NET.
The almex.optima ticket sales terminal ideally complements almex.smartfare, while almex.mobile excels in mobile use and as an inspector‘s unit.
All three components support the same card readers and are based on the same open platform, Windows CE. This reduces the workload in the initial integration of the tariff and transaction data. Any later upgrades, such as adding new services, card schemes or third party services are simplified. As there is also a high reusability of software applications across different ticketing systems, a high protection of investment is provided.
The technology developed by ALMEX can be quickly and easily installed with new updates across all of the products.
“The products are all controlled by a single backoffice system which is a fully integrated Windows system with web served reporting, for simple and cost effective installation and maintenance.”
Aitken acknowledges the role ALMEX’s customers have played, with local authority schemes, such as the Cheshire County Council scheme, NowCard, and the Nottinghamshire scheme, driving the development of the technological solutions:
“Without them and the relevant transport operators we wouldn’t be able to offer the range we now have,” says Aitken.
“They have allowed us to develop our ideas and produce an ITSO system that’s functional, whilst still retaining the original technological benefits that has been winning the Optima so many fans.
“We think our work in Scotland will put us in a really strong position when the English National Concessionary scheme is rolled out in April 2008 and beyond.”
So, as the concessionary scheme in Scotland is displaying, the dedication and commitment of ALMEX to the ITSO standard is going a long way to aid the smooth introduction of smart card transport ticketing everywhere.
