Better ticketing and fare offers for passengers could be a little nearer thanks to the launch of a new support service for the North’s non-mayoral local authorities being offered by the sub-national Transport Body, Transport for the North.
Transport for the North’s ‘Connected Mobility Hub’ will provide Local Transport Authorities (LTA’s) with specialist support so they can develop and deliver new ticketing initiatives for passengers.
“Smarter and more connected journeys for passengers is a shared ambition for many of the North’s transport authorities who want to offer a slicker, fairer and more joined-up ticketing service,” said Matt Smallwood, Head of Digital Strategy for TfN. “What we are offering is shared expertise which removes the need for re-inventing the wheel.”
Transport for the North has secured a year’s funding from the Department for Transport to help launch the Connected Mobility Hub service, which will provide support for at least five key projects over the next 12 months.
“The pilot will provide support for at least five projects which I hope will span more than five local authorities,” Matt continued. “At least one project will be to support the development of new multi-operator ticketing arrangements and another will be around making smarter use of open data around bus services.”
TfN’s Connected Mobility Hub will also offer ‘clear and authoritative’ guidance to help the North’s LTAs upskill their local resources and encourage a more standardised approach to technological deployments.
The guidance offered by Transport for the North will:
- Support the development and delivery of multi-operator ticketing
- Support fares simplification and reform
- Help areas prepare for contactless capping
Matt added: “Throughout June and into July we will be inviting partners to put in their requests for support. We will then prioritise these requests by where we can add the best value and work from there.”
The new initiative is a Significant step towards a public transport network in the North that can offer capped contactless fares, multi modal, tickets and real-time information systems that make travel across the North as painless as it is in places like London.
“It’s a step at a time,” said Matt, “but we have the expertise to begin this journey and developing a regional centre of excellence on connected mobility will surely help as we work together to get to the finish line.”
Further information on the new initiative is available: https://transportforthenorth.com/onenorth/connected-mobility-connected-mobility-hub/
