The smart travel card is no longer being seen purely as a payment mechanism as yet another innovative example of the use of smartcard-derived data to solve transport problems is proving in Singapore.
The passenger transport executives we work with across the UK are well aware of the value of the journey data our smart travel cards give them. They tell us it gives them greater operational visibility and improved strategic planning and has enabled a step-change in the accuracy with which they reimburse bus and train operators and reclaim government subsidies.
Looking at the big picture though, we’re clearly still only one stop along the route. There’s so much more value to be extracted from journey data and it’s exciting to see how initiatives around the world are driving things forward. Singapore’s combined use of travel card data and GPS data from buses and trains to ease rush hour gridlock is a great example.
Faced with heavy congestion problems, particularly during peak commuting hours, Singapore’s transport authority turned to California-based Urban Engines for help. This congestion specialist applies large amounts of data to the challenge of making people in cities move more efficiently. With the price of congestion running into billions – £13bn in the UK alone – it’s perhaps not surprising that Urban Engines has already caught the attention of some big investors.
By gathering together information from Singaporean commuters’ smartcards and GPS systems, Urban Engines can see how people move through the transport system and how it’s working at any one time – things like how long commuters are waiting for a bus and the number of trains that were too full to get on. Patterns – and potential solutions – started to emerge.
As well as putting into the transport authority’s hands much more, and more meaningful, data than ever before, which has helped them optimise the transport networks, the project also led to a smartcard-based reward scheme that encourages passengers to travel an hour after peak times. That really caught my eye. We’ve also been thinking about the potential of our smartcard-based programme Ucan-do-it to be tailored to help local authorities tackle congestion by rewarding certain passenger behaviours with discounts and offers. Good to know we’re on the right track!
