Tcard
Encyclopedia
 Sydney's Public Transport Ticketing System |
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| Release: | Cancelled |
| Prior System: | Automated fare collection system (Sydney) |
| Issuing Authority: | Public Transport Ticketing Corporation |
| Technology: | MIFARE MIFARE MIFARE is the NXP Semiconductors-owned trademark of a series of chips widely used in contactless smart cards and proximity cards. According to the producers, billions of smart card chips and many millions of reader modules have been sold... contactless smart card Contactless smart card A contactless smart card is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits that can process and store data, and communicate with a terminal via radio waves. There are two broad categories of contactless smart cards. Memory cards contain non-volatile memory storage components, and perhaps... |
Tcard
Tcard
Tcard was an integrated inter-modal stored-value ticketing project, similar to Hong Kong's Octopus Card system, originally intended to be in place before the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The project experienced many delays even before the contract was signed, due to a lawsuit brought by the losing bidder...
was an integrated inter-modal stored-value ticketing project, similar to Hong Kong's Octopus Card
Octopus card
The Octopus card is a rechargeable contactless stored value smart card used to transfer electronic payments in online or offline systems in Hong Kong...
system, originally intended to be in place before the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The project experienced many delays even before the contract was signed, due to a lawsuit brought by the losing bidder Cubic Transportation Systems
Cubic Transportation Systems
Cubic Transportation Systems is an American public corporation providing automated fare collection equipment and services to the mass transit industry...
against the NSW Government. In 2002, when Justice Michael Adams threw out the suit, he described Cubic as guilty of reprehensible conduct and that they had shown a lack of good faith and positive dishonesty in the tender process.
After further acrimony and lawsuits with the developer ERG, in 2007 the state government terminated the project and the $64m invested in it has been written off. ERG and the independent regulator attributed some of the delays to CityRail's complex fare structure.
On 12 April 2010, the NSW Government announced that a new contract had been awarded to the Pearl Consortium for the roll-out of a simplified system. It was announced in September 2011 that the new system would be called Opal
Opal card
Opal is the name of the contactless smartcard ticketing system that is planned to be introduced on public transport in Sydney by 2012. The smart card is expected to replace the existing Automated Fare Collection System on all CityRail, Sydney Buses, Western Sydney Buses, Sydney Ferries and...
.
History
Sydney has used a number of automated ticketing systems since the opening of the Eastern Suburbs Railway in 1979. At present, government-run buses, trains and ferries use the Automated Fare Collection System, rolled out between 1988 and 1993.A replacement system, based on smart card
Smart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...
technology, was first announced by the New South Wales Government
Government of New South Wales
The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
in 1996, with hopes of a system to be in place before the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. The Government put the project up for tender attracting competing bids from US-based Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc., which created the CityRail magnetic strip system and Perth-based ERG Group
ERG Group
Vix Technology is an Australia-based technology company which designs, supplies and operates mobility solutions for the public transit industry, including Automated Fare Collection Systems , intelligent transportation systems and passenger information systems .Vix has four main areas of...
creator of the Automated fare collection system (Sydney). The contract was initially awarded to ERG Group but Cubic launched legal action against ERG and the NSW Department of Transport, obtaining an injunction against the contract. Finally on 26 July 2002, the Supreme Court of New South Wales
Supreme Court of New South Wales
The Supreme Court of New South Wales is the highest state court of the Australian State of New South Wales...
ruled in favour of the Department of Transport, in which the judge rebuked Cubic's 'dishonest' business practices.
As a result, the contract to install and operate Integrated ticketing project, or Tcard, as the plan became known, was finalised and awarded to ERG Group
ERG Group
Vix Technology is an Australia-based technology company which designs, supplies and operates mobility solutions for the public transit industry, including Automated Fare Collection Systems , intelligent transportation systems and passenger information systems .Vix has four main areas of...
at the end of 2002. ERG previously developed the Octopus Card
Octopus card
The Octopus card is a rechargeable contactless stored value smart card used to transfer electronic payments in online or offline systems in Hong Kong...
smart card ticketing system in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and delivered magnetic stripe based ticketing systems in both Sydney and Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in the 1990s.
In 2005, a limited trial of the technology involving school children using the School Student Transport
Student transport
Student transport is the transporting of children and teenagers to and from schools and school events. School transport can be undertaken by school students themselves , they may be accompanied by family members or caregivers, or the transport may be organised collectively, using buses or...
Scheme was undertaken, and expanded to cover all private-sector bus services in 2006.
In a bid to smooth the introduction of Tcard, the government established the Public Transport Ticketing Corporation to oversee the project. The corporation commenced operations in July 2006. Originally slated for a 2007 introduction, the Tcard rollout timetable project was pushed back. Ridiculing the revised timetable, opposition transport spokesman Barry O'Farrell
Barry O'Farrell
Barry Robert O'Farrell MP, is an Australian politician and is the 43rd Premier of New South Wales, Minister for Western Sydney, Leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party and a Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Ku-ring-gai for the Liberal Party since 1999.Born in...
told Parliament that "The only smart move by the Minister for Transport is putting off implementation of the full operation of the Tcard until after the 2007 state election campaign
New South Wales legislative election, 2007
Elections for the 54th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 24 March 2007. The entire Legislative Assembly and half of the Legislative Council was up for election. The Australian Labor Party led by Morris Iemma won a fourth four-year term against the Liberal-National coalition led...
."
In mid 2006, the future of the project was in doubt as ERG Group was forced to borrow $14 million to prop up company finances. The government moved to renegotiate the contract, having already spent $54 million.
In April 2007, an official letter from the Public Transport Ticketing Corporation was sent to ERG complaining about numerous concerns, such as software problems dogging the project.
Beginning August 2006, commuter field trials were held on selected lines of Sydney Buses and the Punchbowl Bus Company
Punchbowl Bus Company
The Punchbowl Bus and Coach Company operates public buses in the south and inner south western suburbs of Sydney. It currently operates routes 446, 450, 939, 940, 941, 942, 943, 944, 945, 946, 953, 954, 955 and various school specials...
. The trials hit a hitch when bus drivers threatened a boycott due to the machine crashing when printing tickets, distracting drivers, which in turn led to safety issues. Discontent among ground level workers involved with the trial renewed calls for the Tcard system to be scrapped.
On November 9, 2007, the New South Wales government issued a notice of intention to terminate the contract with ERG.
On the 23rd of January 2008, the NSW government announced it had terminated the contract and would be seeking to recover $95 million from ERG.
On 18 March 2008 the School Student Transport Scheme Tcard system was switched off in response to the terminated contract.
On July 3, 2008 after 3 months of a terminated contract and a $200m lawsuit by ERG it was revealed that the a smartcard system project had been revived
Opal card
Opal is the name of the contactless smartcard ticketing system that is planned to be introduced on public transport in Sydney by 2012. The smart card is expected to replace the existing Automated Fare Collection System on all CityRail, Sydney Buses, Western Sydney Buses, Sydney Ferries and...
by cabinet. This decision also required the state government to change the structure of its fare system to suit the new system.
Technology
Smart card
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...
technology and employed the 13.56 MHz MIFARE
MIFARE
MIFARE is the NXP Semiconductors-owned trademark of a series of chips widely used in contactless smart cards and proximity cards. According to the producers, billions of smart card chips and many millions of reader modules have been sold...
RFID technology. A MIFARE DESfire
MIFARE
MIFARE is the NXP Semiconductors-owned trademark of a series of chips widely used in contactless smart cards and proximity cards. According to the producers, billions of smart card chips and many millions of reader modules have been sold...
chip embedded in the Tcard communicated with the card reader through RFID induction technology. These types of cards require only close proximity to an antenna to complete the transaction. They are often used when transactions must be processed quickly or hands-free, such as on mass transit systems, where smart cards do not have to be removed from a wallet for use.
Like smart cards with contacts, contactless cards do not have a battery. Instead, they use a built-in inductor to capture some of the incident radio-frequency interrogation signal, rectify it, and use it to power the card's electronics.
Similar systems operate in many cities in Asia, Europe, and North America. Particularly successful examples including the Octopus card
Octopus card
The Octopus card is a rechargeable contactless stored value smart card used to transfer electronic payments in online or offline systems in Hong Kong...
of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
(also developed by ERG) and the Oyster card
Oyster card
The Oyster card is a form of electronic ticketing used on public transport services within the Greater London area of the United Kingdom. It is promoted by Transport for London and is valid on a number of different travel systems across London including London Underground, buses, the Docklands...
of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The SmartRider
SmartRider
SmartRider is Transperth's contactless electronic ticketing system using smartcard technology for the process of charging patrons for public transport in Western Australia....
system has been launched in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in 2007, the TransLink Go card launched in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
in 2008 and myki
Myki
myki is the contactless smartcard ticketing system being introduced on public transport in Victoria, Australia. myki is designed to replace a number of ticket systems in Victoria, primarily the Metcard and V/Line ticketing systems...
was launched for Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and the state of Victoria in 2008. See List of smart cards for a list of smart cards, including integrated public transport ticketing systems.
See also
- OpalOpal cardOpal is the name of the contactless smartcard ticketing system that is planned to be introduced on public transport in Sydney by 2012. The smart card is expected to replace the existing Automated Fare Collection System on all CityRail, Sydney Buses, Western Sydney Buses, Sydney Ferries and...
- Sydney's new smartcard ticketing system - mykiMykimyki is the contactless smartcard ticketing system being introduced on public transport in Victoria, Australia. myki is designed to replace a number of ticket systems in Victoria, primarily the Metcard and V/Line ticketing systems...
- Melbourne's smartcard ticketing system - SmartRiderSmartRiderSmartRider is Transperth's contactless electronic ticketing system using smartcard technology for the process of charging patrons for public transport in Western Australia....
- Perth's smartcard system - Translink go cardTransLink Go cardThe go card is an electronic smartcard ticketing system developed by Cubic Corporation and currently used on the TransLink public transport network in South East Queensland. To use the go card users hold the card less than 10 cm away from the reader to "touch on" before starting a journey, and...
- Brisbane's smartcard system - MyZoneMyZoneMyZone is a public transport fare structure in the Greater Sydney area of New South Wales, Australia. It covers transport on CityRail trains, the publicly-owned Sydney Buses network, private buses, and the publicly-owned Sydney Ferries network throughout the Sydney metropolitan area, as well as in...