Background of the Integrated Ticketing Scheme
In 2001, RPA was mandated by the Minister of Transport to introduce an Integrated Ticketing Scheme, initially in the Greater Dublin Area and subsequently all across the country. The mandate required RPA to implement a system which has the following set of core objectives:
- Customer Centric
- Backed by Regulator and Operators
- Based on a sound business model
- Use of modern technology i.e. Smart Cards
RPA was given the task to develop, specify, procure and operate such a system whilst at the same time setup an organisation that could operate separately under the supervision of the Regulator. To fulfil this mandate, RPA setup the Integrated Ticketing Scheme (ITS) Project Team.
Legal Framework
The Transport (Railway Infrastructure) Act 2001 provided for the establishment of a Railway Procurement Agency. RPA has, by Order, been given responsibility under The Transport (Railway Infrastructure) Act 2001 (Additional Functions) (Integrated Ticketing) Order 2002 on Integrated Ticketing.
Project Strategy
Early in the project, the team developed a detailed project plan that was presented to the Department of Transport in December 2002. The plan envisaged a four-phase project namely:
- Establishment - Complete
- Design and specification - Complete
- Procurement - In Progress
- Implementation - Phased implementation to commence following completion of the build of the back office systems. ITS smart cards shall be introduced on one operator’s service before being rolled out across all operators once the extensive testing phase has been completed.