Overview
EUROPTIMA targets the need to change the Automatic Data and Fare Collection paradigm in order to create a new mobility business concept. EUROPTIMA's approach is triggered by the:
- difficulties for small operators, with to date low IT resources, to step into highly sophisticated fare and data collection systems currentlycharacterizing e-ticketing world;
- necessity to cope in a practical way with the separation between regulatory authorities and exploitation operators and the consequent necessity to develop technical and functional interoperability open practices;
- requirements for the economic optimization of the Mass Transit exploitation and the consequent absolute requirementfor extensive use of standardsand low cost infrastructure;
- lack of agility in applying the contactlessdevices not just in small Mass Transit operators, but also in other identically small mobility and city services, with the perspective of generalizing citizen-centric integrated solutions;
- development of multi-applications environment.
EUROPTIMA Changing the paradigm in data and fare collection systems EUROPTIMA addresses the need for implementing data and fare collection systems adapted to the requirements of mass transit operators in terms of cost of implementation, cost of operation, modularity of the system and flexibility in terms of fare evolutions, interoperability and customer relationship. In particular, EUROPTIMA targets the small operations, which normally do not have the investment resources for the current rather monolithic teleticketing systems and require a flexible environment.
EUROPTIMA targets to :
- Specify a coherent, comprehensive and analogous to an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) architecture for Automatic Fare and Data Collection based on an open scalable modular suite satisfying industry standards including Calypso and adapted to the specific requirements of small size mass transit, multi-services and mobility operations;
- Develop, at prototype level, the appropriate software components and adapt hardware, communication and interfaces corresponding to the EUROPTIMA specified architecture at the terminal, communication and back- office levels;
- Stabilise and pilot a modular, designed to become of the shelf, scalable and customisable open solution;
- Propose the EUROPTIMA proven results to an adequate level of standardisation (ERP components, protocols, extensions and complements to the existing standards);
- Define the EUROPTIMA business models, actively promote the results and prepare for production and commercial exploitation with the various stakeholders of the value chain.
EUROPTIMA stabilises and pilots a modular, of the shelf, customisable and scalable components and interfaces for building fare collection systems based on CALYPSO specifications and other industry open standards to be used by small scale transport and mobility related operations. This includes the definition of the open hardware based on existing platforms (e.g. NFC telephones, bank POS)
The innovative end-to-end architecture allows the usage and management of various types of terminal, in particular thin-client terminals, multia-pplications payment & e-ticketing with high security levels. EUROPTIMA is operated by a consortium of highly professional and complementary organisations, led by CNA (Calypso networks association, BE). It regroups 2 major public transport operators groups, OTLIS (PT) and VEOLIA (FR), one industrial company, CARD4B/YOUMOVE (PT) and one specialised consultancy, MTA (BE).