We are proud to announce that several of our recent solutions and features have been recognised at the UK Transport Awards, who voted Ticketer the winner of “Most Innovative Public Transportation Technology 2022” award.
Whilst we at Ticketer aren’t in this for awards, it’s great that our team have received recognition for the hard work they put in to continuously bring new innovations to market for our customers. Here’s what the panel of award judges had to say –
Public transport plays a key part of our lives, but as the way in which we live changes, so too does how we travel. The team at Ticketer have made it their mission to listen to public transport operator’s needs, find required solutions and bring new innovations to market. They strive to be at the forefront of technological advances, and for the UK Transport Awards 2022, the judges have recognised the team for their pioneering spirit. We dug a little deeper to discover what this really means.
The introduction of our new work- and lifestyle habits over recent years have resulted in a big shift in how people travel and make use of the public transport offering. Travelling by car instead of bus, avoiding large crowds of people and working from home, have all lead to less frequent travel patterns and the need for more flexibility. In bringing people back to travelling by bus, the industry needs to adapt to the change in demand for the service offering and accommodate a more personalised travel experience.
For Ticketer, part of this change is an approach which supports a new way of analysing insights into the emerging travel patterns, and the subsequent change required in operational planning. Applying the latest that technology has to offer, the team have developed numerous innovative features and mobility solutions. With data-driven information gathered through their sophisticated Electronic Ticket Machines (ETMs) onboard the bus, operators can reap the benefits that come from in-depth analytics, being able to offer a more personalised travel experience for passengers, and also gain a more efficient operation.
The need to become more adaptable and dynamic has helped the sector start to realise the benefits of capitalising on its data sources, particularly as it continues on its journey of digital transformation. Operators are now turning to data analytics to better understand customer journeys and optimise route planning, while passengers can use the information gathered to better plan their journey.
Finding ways of utilising the vast amount of information available and turn it into valuable and insightful analytics has though not always been so straight forward. For instance, the possibility of providing a live feed on how crowded a bus is, and if at capacity, when the next one would arrive, was for a long time a vision only. This vision became reality during the pandemic, spearheaded by Ticketer’s innovative launch of their Passenger Counting solution. This live travel information and capacity management tool, allows the driver to manage capacity levels and gives the passengers the confidence to travel safely. Another example is the Ticketer Road Restriction Alert (RRA) feature, which alerts drivers when they are in the vicinity of a road with restricted access. Using the latest dataset of restricted roads across the UK, together with dimensions of the vehicles, the ETM can detect when the bus is approaching any restrictions and warn the driver via a visible and audible alert.
Another exciting opportunity within the mobility landscape is around Demand Responsive Transport (DRT), where Ticketer have formed new and innovative partnerships to enable DRT and fixed-route bus intermodality, along with a new level of flexibility for operators in the way they deploy their services. DRT is the ability to run services that don’t operate to a specific timetable or route, but rather to flexible passenger demand. This continues to revolutionise public transport, better connect rural and urban areas, and make public transport easier and more accessible than ever before.
This new thinking and introduction of features and mobility solutions, alongside new contactless ticketing solutions, have gone a long way to help improve how operators operate, and in inviting passengers back to travel by bus.
Public transport is a vital part of the way in which we live, and one which we must embrace to thrive in the future. To draw people back, however, requires a change to ensure that the transport offering is fit and flexible for today’s passenger requirements. This drive for improvements and future- proofing of the public transport industry lies at the heart of what they do at Ticketer, and is why they continue to innovate and bring new technology to market – and why they are being recognised by our judging panel for their successes.
If you would like to read the digital award magazine and view the full list of winners, please click here.