(23 Jul 2014, 7:14 pm)aureolin wrote I've split this away from the pricing thread, as NESTI really deserves it's own thread.

I'm surprised this is being launched as a DCC initiative. I thought the NESTI project would have been driven by the North East CA? I'm also a bit dubious about the trial being on the 40B only. How many people actually use this service? It's only ever carrying fresh air when I see it.

(23 Jul 2014, 7:19 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote Numbers must be viable using staff from the uni alone.
With the POP trial, I am pretty sure tickets were reimbursed and a load of vouchers would be on their way as a way of thanks.
Hopefully a similar carrot/stick approach is used in this trial.

As for prices going forward when the scheme is rolled out regionwide - I hope the PAYG prices are lower than cash fares to encourage uptake.
It seems pointless rolling the project out, if it is more convenient (and the same price) paying cash.
There needs to be an incentive.

(23 Jul 2014, 7:50 pm)cbma06 wrote Go Ahead did these pay as you go cards years and years ago, before all these 'go and saves' and buzzfares came into play. DCC told me a few years ago that their were hoping to bring out a pass that you can use on all bus operators in the County Durham area next year, but this was years ago.

(23 Jul 2014, 8:00 pm)Robert wrote Indeed they did. I believe this system remained until the Key Readers were fitted to buses as i seem to remember they changed the 'Go 'n' Save' cards with Buzzfare written on them and the readers worked the same. As with most of my posts, i could be completely wrong.

(23 Jul 2014, 7:19 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote Numbers must be viable using staff from the uni alone.
With the POP trial, I am pretty sure tickets were reimbursed and a load of vouchers would be on their way as a way of thanks.
Hopefully a similar carrot/stick approach is used in this trial.

As for prices going forward when the scheme is rolled out regionwide - I hope the PAYG prices are lower than cash fares to encourage uptake.
It seems pointless rolling the project out, if it is more convenient (and the same price) paying cash.
There needs to be an incentive.

(23 Jul 2014, 7:50 pm)cbma06 wrote Go Ahead did these pay as you go cards years and years ago, before all these 'go and saves' and buzzfares came into play. DCC told me a few years ago that their were hoping to bring out a pass that you can use on all bus operators in the County Durham area next year, but this was years ago.

(23 Jul 2014, 8:18 pm)aureolin wrote For an extensive test though? When we test new products, we're ideally wanting to look at thousands of lines of data to ensure we can spot any problems before it's released to production. I don't think the 40B would offer the opportunity to collect such data.

(23 Jul 2014, 8:48 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote Did they?
How did it work? Have never heard of the scheme before now.


How many thousand are trialling the metro card?
Guessing it is more than on the 40b, but if a few trials are running concurrently, then it will involve quite a few people.

(07 Jan 2016, 10:39 am)Andreos1 wrote http://m.stagecoach.com/media/news-releases/2016/2016-01-07.aspx

Stagecoach have just issued this press release relating to smart ticketing.

(18 Jan 2016, 4:26 pm)Andreos1 wrote http://www.nexus.org.uk/news/item/pop-pay-you-go-users-pass-2000-mark?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

The number of PAYG POP Card holder passes 2000 mark, following launch late last year.

(18 Jan 2016, 4:26 pm)Andreos1 wrote http://www.nexus.org.uk/news/item/pop-pay-you-go-users-pass-2000-mark?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

The number of PAYG POP Card holder passes 2000 mark, following launch late last year.

(18 Jan 2016, 4:50 pm)citaro5284 wrote Which I think it not that many based on the numbers who use the metro on a daily basis.

(18 Jan 2016, 4:50 pm)citaro5284 wrote Which I think it not that many based on the numbers who use the metro on a daily basis.

(18 Jan 2016, 5:04 pm)Adrian wrote Metro claimed that passenger numbers were up to 39,000,000, just a month before the 'Pop Pay as you Go' launch in November 2015. So without having knowledge of how many individual users that is, we'll assume that each user has made an average of 4 journeys.... that's still less than 0.02% of passengers actually using the 'Pay as you Go' technology. Which is shocking in my opinion, considering the amount of marketing they appear to have put in for it.

http://www.nexus.org.uk/news/item/metro-passenger-numbers-rise-39-million

Using the same assumption, and in absence of proper stats, it'd take over 150 years for 10% of the system's users to be using the card...

(18 Jan 2016, 9:08 pm)Andreos1 wrote I wouldn't say it is that bad.
1000 people per month taking up the option, on a system that already accepts annual POP cards or Network Travel tickets which have been pre-paid.
Without knowing the percentage of passengers using just those two methods, I think the 0.02% line may be a little off the mark.

I do believe the roll-out has been hindered by bus operators not taking part in the scheme.

It would be interesting to compare like for like and see how what the take-up was for other smartcards was, two months after roll-out.

(18 Jan 2016, 9:34 pm)Adrian wrote It's difficult when you have no data on unique passenger numbers, but if you compare the timescale to that of Oyster. Public rollout in Q1 or 2004, and buses are no longer accepting cash fares come Q3 2014. 

It'll be interesting to see how fast North East SmartZone is rolled out (including P&G fares), compared to the NECA scheme.

(18 Jan 2016, 9:42 pm)Andreos1 wrote I wonder how many people end up with two cards?
POP for Metro, ANE and a couple of GNE services and another for bus trips?

A total farce and yet another example of how the deregulated, fragmented system doesn't benefit the passenger. A rival smartcard offer sums it all up.
I feel too much money has been spent, (both from public and private pots) for one of the systems to pull out now.

London worked so well, due to the integrated setup down there.
I would have been over the moon at POP being even half as quick/successful under a QCS scheme.

(18 Jan 2016, 9:49 pm)Adrian wrote But the tech is the same? If I set a reader into listen mode, I could register my GNE key card or POP card to unlock doors, use pull printing systems, and all sorts. You have to ask yourself why Nexus haven't added software to the TVMs, that would allow users to register a generic card against their POP account? All it's looking for is a unique ID.

Having said that, I did have some issues when applying for a Brighton & Hove keycard, knowing that I'd need a weekly ticket when down there a few years ago. The database recognised me as a user from another opco, so I was unable to 're-register'. I was also unable to have my GNE card added to the B&H system, despite it not being what I'd envisage a technically difficult process.

There should have been investment in TVM for bus stations, with Nexus acting as a reseller for the three operators, as well as selling Network One and Metro tickets.

I agree the system should have been more linked up, but I don't think that any one party can have the finger pointed at them here.

(18 Jan 2016, 10:05 pm)Andreos1 wrote Surely passengers aren't bothered about the tech?
They just want a card that they can use on whatever form of transport they ise and with whichever operator/s that may be.

From the outside looking in, we are no further forward than we were 5 years ago and we still see people using paper tickets and paper passes.
Despite all the money that has been spent.

(19 Jan 2016, 1:24 pm)JakeSavage wrote Yeah, the various forms of smartcard in the northeast (pop, key, stagecoachsmart, arriva connect) are all ITSO compliant, so products could be inter loadedacross the platform. For all oyster is held us an example of best practise, I don't believe it's ITSO compliant?

(18 Jan 2016, 10:13 pm)Adrian wrote
If they just want a single card, then they must be bothered about the tech in one form or another then... I'd prefer to have one card, not three. It makes you wonder why Nexus didn't make allowances for a card that had already been on the market for 4 years? 

I'd say we're a lot further forward. One operator has ceased to sell monthly tickets on a bus, and I can see weekly tickets going the journey in the not too distant future. I agree we're miles behind on P&G technology though.

(19 Jan 2016, 1:24 pm)JakeSavage wrote Yeah, the various forms of smartcard in the northeast (pop, key, stagecoachsmart, arriva connect) are all ITSO compliant, so products could be inter loadedacross the platform. For all oyster is held us an example of best practise, I don't believe it's ITSO compliant?