Ecebs AMS/HOPS and ISAMS utilized in NoWcard Deployment

A new smart card system for bus passengers has been launched in Cumbria, UK.The NoWcard is the first time the new (ITSO) specification for smart cards has been fully deployed on buses anywhere in the world and is a unique achievement for a local government partnership.

The system is operated using ISAMS supplied by Ecebs and the Ecebs AMS/HOPS back office system operated for NoWcard by the Royal Bank of Scotland.

NoWcard went live on Stagecoach buses in Carlisle and Penrith (Sunday 13 May) following its successful introduction in Blackpool last September and Rossendale in East Lancashire earlier this month. It will be introduced on Stagecoach buses in West Cumbria on 20 May, followed by Barrow on 27 May and Kendal on 3 June. The £7 million project is now being rolled out to all major bus operators across the North West and spells a revolution in the way local authorities can calculate concessionary bus fares.

Each local authority will be issuing NoWcards and equipping buses with new or upgraded ticket machines over the coming months, all under the NoWcard banner.

Further Information

What is a NowCard?

Within each NowCard is a microchip,which gives details of your concessionary fare discount.The ticket machine on your local bus service will be able to read your NowCard,check it’s validity and ensure that you are given the correct fare.Your personal details are kept securely by your district council;these details cannot be read by bus service operators.

The NowCard allows the bus service operator and the local authority,to account accurately for concessionary fares,so that the concessions are paid for correctly.

It is the culmination of four years of development work led by Cumbria County Council, in partnership with Blackpool Borough Council, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Lancashire County Council and funded mainly through the Local Transport Plans of the four lead authorities and the Department for Transport. The roll-out will be completed in October 2007.

For more information please visit www.nowcard.org