Decision soon on smartcard ticketing07jun05VICTORIAN commuters,...

Decision soon on smartcard ticketing

07jun05

VICTORIAN commuters, wearied by the ever-changing fares and ticketing system, could know in a fortnight which company will supply them with a smartcard ticket to ride on all state public transport by 2008.

The Transport Ticketing Authority yesterday said a decision on the winning tenderer was "not far away" and would probably be revealed by the end of the month.
The Department of Infrastructure opened the tendering process in July last year, giving bidders just 12 weeks to respond.

It said then the winning tenderer would be known early this year.

However, as the second half of the year approaches, the TTA insisted it would not be rushed to make a choice.

More than 10 weeks ago, TTA strategy manager Duncan Bryce said bidders had been whittled down to two consortiums -- Keane Corp and Manta T. -- and an announcement on the winning tenderer "was expected shortly".

The main Manta T. contractor, global ticketing equipment expert Thales, yesterday said it had just won a bid in the Netherlands to roll out a $100 million computer platform that would integrate e-ticketing with bus fleet management.

The Manta T. consortium comprises Australian defence and engineering contractor ADI and the operator of Hong Kong's underground rail network, MTR.

IT consultant Keane Corp's partners are listed engineer Downer EDI and smartcard specialist Ascom.

Dumped from the shortlist was ERG, the company behind the much-maligned Metcards.

ERG operates the integrated ticketing system being tested in NSW, which is expected to allow public transport travel using a smartcard by July next year.

Victoria is expected to have a smartcard fare system operating some time in 2007.

The TTA said yesterday it would not rush its decision on the winning bidder because it was better to take the time now to get it right and avoid possible problems when the system was implemented.

"We won't be going over the line . . . until the final contract addresses all of TTA's concerns," a spokeswoman said.

The anticipated smartcards, durable plastic cards with an embedded microchip, will need to be credited with money before they can have fares deducted from them.

The spokeswoman said commuters would be able to decide whether to register their smartcard, like the Citylink E-tag, or travel with an "anonymous" card that can be scanned at train stations, in trams and buses and retail agents.