At the recent UITP Global Public Transport Summit, Conduent showcased its Seamless Transportation Solution and the different applications that could be utilized in a variety of fashions by public transportation agencies. Conduent’s Seamless Transportation Solution is a next-gen approach to secure ticketless public transport payment by smartphone. Based on patented Conduent technology, Conduent Seamless can be used for all kinds of services including trains, buses, trams, park-and-ride facilities and carpooling, making it attractive to a broad range of operators and travelers.
How the system works
Operators simply install Near Field Communication (NFC) and Bluetooth tags provided by Conduent on their transport network. The traveler downloads the app onto their smartphone and registers with Conduent Seamless to activate their account. To travel they simply tap their smartphone on any Conduent Seamless tag. During the tap, the tag creates and stores an encrypted transaction and relays it to the smartphone. Billing is processed automatically at the end of the month, based on the number of trips completed on the various transport providers.
The solution is universal. Designed independently of SIM cards and compatible with all mobile phone operators, it can be installed quickly and easily by both the transportation operators and the user while offering the same security guarantees as conventional contactless ticketing.
A Mobility as a Service (MaaS) business model
In exchange for receiving a fee for the services provided, Conduent supplies transport operators with the tags and app, and operates the complete service, including the back-office system that handles:
- Integration of data required to process fares
- Customer service and billing
- Reconciliation of the fares/services processed for affiliated transport operators/service providers.
Integrated trip planner
The Conduent Seamless app can be integrated with the Conduent Mobility Companion, an innovative travel solution that interfaces with the systems of different transport operators and providers in a city or region to offer citizens door-to-door trip planning. The solution combines all available travel options such as bus, train, tram, bicycle and car sharing. Together, Conduent Seamless and the Conduent Mobility Companion provide a single account based service and planning and information to enable users to enjoy mobility using MaaS principles.
“The solution removes barriers to people using an unfamiliar transportation system,” said Jo Van Onsem, vice president, Conduent, Public Sector, Transportation. “Tourists, for example, could easily access services without having to know about local ticketing conventions. It can also interact with parking, bikeshare and other applications, providing a seamless way to not only interact with transit, but all manner of city infrastructure.”
When used on buses it offers an agency a low capital investment. Riders can validate and show the fare inspector.
Van Onsem added, “There is also value in analyzing the data in order to help the transit agency understand the statistics of their operation. We can help them understand their own arrival times, passenger demand, and potentially reduce capital expenditure by optimizing asset utilization over time.”
