HSL to purchase the new ticketing and information system from
Tieto Finland Oy
HSL will introduce a new ticketing and information system for
Helsinki region public transport by the end of 2015. The system,
which involves a new Travel Card system, will unify the current
passenger information systems. The new system will bring up-to-date
passenger information to all Helsinki region public transport.
The Executive Board of HSL has selected Tieto Finland Oy as
the supplier of the system following a competitive tender. The bid
submitted by Tieto Finland Oy was considered the most economically
advantageous. The procurement includes the implementation of the
new ticketing and information system, as well as maintenance for 5
years. The investment cost of the new system is about EUR 60
million.
The system can be further developed in a supplier-independent
manner, which in the long-term reduces the cost incurred to HSL and
provides better possibilities to incorporate new services in the
system cost-effectively also in the future. During the first five
years, the maintenance costs will be about EUR 30 million.
Passengers will get a taste of the new system in 2014 in the
form of more extensive, up-to-date information and online services.
Passengers can, for example, check the arrival time of a vehicle at
a stop from a stop display, computer or mobile phone. All buses
will be equipped with displays that show the name of the next stop.
The new system will make extensive use of the vehicle
positioning data. Satellite positioning will be used to improve,
for example, information in emergency situations and in cases of
service disruptions. A communication system between vehicles and
depots will enable real-time emergency messages and provision of
other real-time information to drivers and passengers. The
reliability and flow of public transport will also improve as
public transport traffic signal priorities can be implemented in a
wider area than at present.
The information produced by the system will also improve
traffic control, public transport planning, monitoring of ticket
revenue, financial planning and quality control.
As the new system and card reader will be more flexible in
terms of adding new fare zones, the new system will make it easier
to expand the coverage of the Travel Card system to new
municipalities. Buying a ticket with a Travel Card will become
easier thanks to the introduction of new online and mobile
services. It will provide reliable real-time public transport
information also for other service suppliers. A host of independent
services that promote the availability of e.g. timetable
information have already been established based on the open data
provided by HSL.
The current Travel Card system, which has been in use since the
early 2000s, needs to be renewed as the life cycle of this kind of
systems is at most 10-15 years. The first phase of the renewal
visible to passengers was the changing of Travel Cards to ISO
standard compliant cards in 2009-2010. The introduction of the new
Travel Cards enabled open tendering of the new ticketing and
information system.