Unicard is pleased to announce, that its Host Operator or Processing System (HOPS) has been selected by Staffordshire County Council to manage passenger journey and transaction data for the County Council’s concessionary travel scheme.
Unicard HOPS is a transport data management system that supports all ITSO smart ticketing schemes. It will allow Staffordshire County Council to process and validate concessionary fares and passenger journeys for elderly and disabled residents across the region. Staffordshire County Council can also use the HOPS to access live transaction and travel data to support the passenger and reconcile fares with local bus operators, in line with ENCTS.
Unicard HOPS is a fully automated, scalable and secure solution that handles all ITSO messaging and transaction history. It can be integrated with existing systems and infrastructure, but it can also be incorporated with a full range of back-office functions to deliver more comprehensive smart ticketing and payments programmes.
Unicard has a strong heritage in the smart ticketing space. It’s software and solutions have been deployed by 40% of local and regional authorities throughout the UK. Its solutions enable Local Authorities and commercial operators to deliver commercial and concessionary travel schemes across transport networks.
David Williams, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport at Staffordshire County Council, explained: “We needed a system that enabled us to manage all aspects of the concessionary travel scheme for elderly and disabled residents across the region. Budgeting and finance are key to the management of services. It’s important to have visibility of the data and activity generated by the concessionary scheme. With the Unicard HOPS platform we can monitor the latest reporting data, track concessionary fares and eventually manage smart reimbursements to the bus operators”.
Sean Dickinson, CEO of Unicard, said: “The Unicard HOPS is integral to smart ticketing infrastructures and travel schemes up and down the country. This has allowed us to develop good working relationships with our customers. We are very excited by this new deployment and the opportunity to be working with Staffordshire County Council. Our fully integrated and hosted solutions support all ENCTS requirements. Although, Local Authorities can also leverage our solutions to augment their existing bus and rail travel schemes with new modes of transport, including bikes, e-scooters and electric vehicles”.