Great Western Railway (GWR) has announced plans to deploy iBlocks’ smartTIS pay-as-you-go (PAYG) ticketing solution across the Bristol area.
GWR plans to deploy the iBlocks smartTIS PAYG account-based ticketing (ABT) solution across the wider Bristol area.
The ABT solution was designed to improve the efficiency of journeys made with GWR by offering a tap-and-travel experience that provides the best value fare.
GWR is reportedly developing a smartcard system to be trialled later this year, which will include single leg pricing and zone capping.
Chris Barnes, CEO of the Tracsis Group, which owns iBlocks, said: “When we acquired iBlocks we saw the benefit that the company can bring to customers in the rail sector, and it was a natural fit with our existing business.
“We are committed to supporting iBlocks becoming a key contributor to the aspirations of Great British Railways in account-based ticketing.”
Customers will be able to register for the iBlocks solution, review their journeys and manage their accounts through the GWR website.
The service is expected to be available later this year and is the first step in a wider scheme across the GWR network.
Future plans could also see the inclusion of bus services and other transport modes as part of a multimodal solution.
The iBlocks solution is token agnostic, meaning it allows a simple migration from existing smart cards to barcodes or bank cards without changes to the core ABT back office.
Following the new agreement, GWR becomes iBlocks’ third major rail customer, alongside Govia Thameslink Railway and South Western Railway, which together represent over 35% of the UK rail travel market.
