HCLTech to support Victoria with public transport concessions upgrade
The Victorian government has tapped HCLTech to support it with the introduction of a new verification and management system for public transport concession holders.
Global technology consulting and services firm HCLTech has been selected by Victoria’s Department of Transport and Planning to support the development of an automated concession validation system.
In what is described as a national public transportation first, the Concessions Entitlement Validation Platform (CEVP) will also link passengers credit cards with heir concession entitlements to provide greater payment flexibility.
More than a third of the state’s 600 million-plus annual public transport trips are taken by concession card holders, including students, retirees, veterans and those with disabilities or reduced mobility. In an effort to improve the experience for both passengers and staff, the new CEVP will enable instant veriication of concession status and provide an easy-to-use passenger interface to apply for and manage concession entitlements.
“Our human-first approach to designing a solution puts the end user at the front and the center,” said HCLTech’s former Australia and NZ country manager Michael Horton. “Over one in three Victorians travel on a concession card and some of them are among the most vulnerable in the community. HCLTech knows that it is important to get this right, using technology to support this cohort while also unlocking business value.”
Victoria’s Myki electronic ticketing system has often attracted intense criticism from the state’s public transport users since being first introduced in 2008, inflexibility of purchasing and payment options being one bugbear. Last year, the government awarded a new management contract to American company Conduent, taking over from NTT Data, with one stipulation being the introduction of credit card and smartphone payments.
According to a press release, HCLTech will deploy digital workflow orchestration solutions and leverage agile development approaches to implement the CEVP across Victoria, although a time frame wasn’t revealed for the project (previously, the department has said new roll-outs wouldn’t be rushed). The consultancy will also provide maintenance and customer center support as well as training for transport and planning employees.
