We were recently asked by Bus and Coach Buyer how we had developed and changed our offerings to aid the industry over the last year. We didn’t know where to start, but were delighted to take Chris Peat, News Editor at Bus and Coach Buyer, through a snapshot of some of the features we’re most proud of. You’ll find the link to the full article below and we have extracted the Ticketer section here:
‘Just as human innovations in vaccines are currently heaving the country out of the grip of the pandemic, so too has technology helped the bus and coach world stay safe and healthy during the crisis. Software, apps and web-based services have been rapidly developed, updated and deployed to help with social distancing, changing service levels and other challenges COVID-19 has thrown at the sector.
TICKETER ENABLES TOUCH-FREE
Ticketer’s first priority during the pandemic is to support driver and passenger safety by helping operators upgrade to tough-free ticketing.
Ticketer has introduced an enhancement to its passenger counting solution. Operators can set capacity on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis via the company’s Ticketer Portal. According to the company, recording passengers via the ETM means the driver knows exactly how many people are onboard, rather than relying solely on an app-based solution that requires the majority of people to be using the associated app. This capacity management can be extended to wheelchair bay availability.
A Covid development early on for the company was to support the increased limits for using contactless EMV cards, which was increased from £30 to £45.
Ticketer worked with Apple to support Apple Pay Express for both tap and retail transactions, thereby removing the need for passengers to unlock their phones with Face ID when using this method of payment on the bus, (face coverings make this difficult.)
Recognising that contactless methods of ticketing are key during the pandemic, Ticketer has enhanced its solution with regard to accepting QR codes. It introduced the ability to hotlist QR codes from the back office, so QR codes could be declined by the ETM should the operator suspect fraudulent use or through lost paper tickets.
As drivers have been asked to take routes they are not familiar with during the pandemic, Ticketer has implemented a Road Restriction feature, which alerts drivers when they are in the vicinity of a road with restricted access that cannot be accommodated by the vehicle being driven.’
For further information on our product solutions, click here.
Alternatively, to read the feature within Bus and Coach Buyer’s virtual magazine released 26th March, click here.