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November 2004 - Electronic Ticket Delivery Becomes
a Reality
Although we are all now getting used to the convenience of being able to
order our train tickets on line over the Internet, we may still be faced
with lengthy queues as we make the detour to the ticket office or ticket
machine to pick up our tickets.
A new product from Accrington Technologies Limited (ATL) will overcome
this problem with the imminent introduction of smartcard-based ticketing.
The product is called SAS (SAM Array System) and is based on the ITSO
industry standard. Once the customer has decided upon the ticket required,
he can initiate the actual downloading of the ticket over the Internet by
connecting to the SAS service, whether he is at home, at a kiosk, or at
an agent's counter.
ATL is a joint venture between Merseytravel and Ecebs. Neil Scales,
Chairman of ATL and Chief Executive of Merseytravel says "ATL is a
fine example of partnership between the public and private sectors, and
we are proud of the fact that the first product, the SAS, will bring convenience
to customers and enable organisations such as Merseytravel to implement
social improvement policies - for example by delivering concessionary fares
more easily.It will also allow us to securely implement social inclusion
schemes that involve travel"
But the SAS is not exclusively aimed at the travel industry. The SAS was
warmly received when it was demonstrated on a BT Kiosk at the recent Smartcard
Networking Forum (SCNF) showcase event held at the Newcastle Falcons
stadium.
Conn Crawford, Chairman of SCNF says "There is great potential
for the use of ITSO-based ticketing technology to be used for the delivery
of tokens that entitle the recipient to all kinds of services. Libraries
and leisure are now high on the agenda following the Office of the Deputy
Prime Minister's emphasis on these in its Priority Outcomes initiative,
and this type of approach could be most helpful in attaining these objectives
while future-proofing the solution".
The SAS was also demonstrated at the Moving On conference in Liverpool 25th
and 26th November 2004.
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