CUBIC SHOWCASES INNOVATION
TICKETING COMPANY Cubic Transportation held a series of open days at its Innovation Centre in Farringdon in September, where a number of ideas for improving revenue control were on show.
A collaboration with Chiltern is seeing the idea of pay-as-you-go extended from metros to the main line railway. Bluetooth on your phone opens the gates, with journeys recorded and – as on Transport for London – there is a guarantee of a best fare applied at the end of the day. The system is being tried out at Marylebone and Oxford by Chiltern staff, prior to being offered to the public. It has the potential to offer three-days-a-week season tickets and other new products.
CHARGING THE RIGHT FARE
Another idea is adaptation of people tracking technology already in use at airports for the rail sector. By tracking the tops of passengers’ heads anonymously, airports check that the right people get on each plane with the correct baggage. This could be adapted to follow people getting on trains – so that passengers on a premium airport express, for example, are paying the right fare.
‘For services to Gatwick at Victoria we currently work out which fee to charge you from which gateline you go through…
