Creating fast, modern, and safe rider journeys
Transportation authorities leverage partnerships to expand contactless, safe transactions
Transportation agencies around the world are responding to the rapidly compounding need to modernize ticketing solutions both in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the continued advancement of mobile technologies that are shaping rider expectations.
Increasingly, the goal is to create experiences for users to enjoy real-time “tap-and-go” transactions without the need for physical interactions while also avoiding the physical touch of currency and highly trafficked, public surfaces.
Conduent, as part of its mission to deliver critical mobility and payment solutions, is an industry leader in helping transportation and transit authorities around the world automate, modernize and improve operations to help keep people and fleets moving – often while up against challenging odds and timelines.
In 2020, for example, Conduent worked closely with longtime partner South Australian Public Transport Authority (SAPTA) to rapidly deploy a modern, ticketless, and contactless ecosystem for its riders. SAPTA oversees South Adelaide Metro’s fleet of trams, buses and trains that in 2018-19 had total patronage of more than 76 million riders. The project required the expansion of Conduent’s ATLAS® platform to incorporate the ATLAS® Open Media Module to allow for quick, real-time contactless fare options.
South Australian Public Transport Authority's modernization project was a finalist for Best Smart Ticketing Programme (200k+ Daily Journeys) category at the 2022 Transport Ticketing Global Awards. |
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By October 2020 – only six months after the project was initiated – the overall functionality of SAPTA’s platform was extended to incorporate next-generation software and hardware modernization for customers to make contactless fare payments with their credit or debit card, or their tap-and-pay digital wallet without the need for a physical MetroCARD.
These upgrades and extensions integrated with SAPTA’s legacy equipment and communications infrastructure, which in turn helped reduce project cost and time to completion. Similarly, the network was expanded to allow for scalability and modularity, helping to future-proof subsequent upgrades.
The project resulted in gains not just for SAPTA, but also for riders. In addition to an overall reduced cost of ownership resulting from fewer physical and costly kiosks and vending machines, riders enjoy ticketless, mobile transactions with fewer “stops” in the transactions.
Likewise, the expansion enhances important fraud deterrence and detection measures to protect riders. Mobile NFC readers inspect and verify whether a passenger has properly “tapped” their bank card when conducting transactions.
How passengers benefit from open fare platforms:
- Reduced queuing behind kiosks and ticket counters
- Reduced touching of surfaces and currency
- Safe, secure transactions and personal information
- Self-service web portals to view and manage payment activity
The project’s success and effectiveness created a path for SAPTA to further extend Conduent’s modernization to its entire bus and train fleet. These upgrades allow full transferability between transport modes and a seamless ticketing experience for customers across the entire Adelaide Metro network.
SAPTA has been a Conduent Transportation partner since 1987. In 2010, SAPTA worked with Conduent to offer a closed loop ticketing solution using a smart card (MetroCARD) on trains, trams and buses.
Discover more about how Conduent Transportation is modernizing and accelerating journeys all over the world by exploring our case studies.