Britain takes leap towards smart ticketing
- Pinnacle Team
- Sep 4
- 2 min read
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which manages railway transport in the UK, has recently made a significant announcement. They have successfully completed a major change to the ticketing system for passenger operators: the back-office migration to Unicard's Host or Operator Processing System (Hops). This marks a revolutionary turning point for the UK rail industry. The move from paper tickets to digital ticketing reflects the industry's ongoing effort to improve operational efficiency while providing passengers with a more convenient and flexible travel experience.
The Hops system offers robust resilience, including transaction processing and reporting capabilities. Implemented as a centralized, cloud-based platform, it now enables all 16 of the UK's passenger operators to support smart ticketing. This allows each operator to provide more efficient and consistent service through a unified approach, rather than managing their back-office systems individually.
The introduction of Hops makes it faster and easier for operators to set up new configurations, add new operators, and track smart ticket data and transactions. This enables operators to monitor customer journeys and behavior, providing a more personalized service. The system can also serve as a crucial tool in addressing fare evasion. The complete visibility provided through a single user interface allows for the monitoring of all activity within the rail network.
A particularly noteworthy feature is Hops' auto-scaling capability. This allows it to handle increased workloads during peak times with ease, providing a stable smart ticketing infrastructure. This scalability lays the groundwork for effectively responding to the expected increase in smart ticketing usage.
This migration, conducted as part of the RDG's Smart Ticketing Hub (STH) program, offers significant benefits to operator members who support the transition to digital ticketing. The STH program is evolving in line with technological advancements, including projects that enable ticketing with contactless bank cards and smartphones.
Simon Moorhead, the Chief Information Officer at RDG, commented that the system "will provide a powerful and resilient support system to help customers make a seamless and easy transition to digital ticketing." This means they not only have the flexibility to respond quickly to current customer demands but also the potential to accommodate various forms of smart ticketing in the future.
This innovative system, introduced through the collaboration between the RDG and Unicard, is expected to redefine the future of UK rail passenger transport, accelerating the transition to an efficient and sustainable operating model suited for the digital age.
March 5, 2024
