L to R: Gavin Trimnell (Parkeon), Chris Betts (Arriva North West and Wales), Robin Goulder (Arriva North West and Wales), Phil Cummins (Arriva North West and Wales), Gary Wilson (Parkeon) and Philip Stone (Arriva North West and Wales)

Birmingham, October 5, 2011- The Arriva North West and Wales bus network will be one of the 'smartest' in the country next year when Parkeon rolls out new on-board ticketing technology linked to no less than five ITSO scheme.

The project will be among the most complex ever undertaken by Parkeon because it involves ensuring full integration of the Wayfarer200 ticketing platform within the ITSO regions serving Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales, NoWcard and Bolton.

In all, the leading ticketing technology company will install 1,185 Wayfarer200 ETMs across 19 Arriva NW and Wales bus depots, bringing the number of Wayfarer200s ordered by Arriva Group to nearly 3,000.

Arriva North West provides 78% of services in and around Merseyside and as such is a key delivery partner not just for concessionary travel but for commercial products serving the Merseytravel region.

Under the contract, Parkeon technology will interface to the bus operator's ITSO HOPS back office and link to Merseytravel's new Real-Time Information system, which uses RTIG's Digital Air Interface to transfer data via the Wayfarer200's integral GPRS module using mobile data communications. The system includes scope to extend future ticketing products, with the potential to deliver cross-modal acceptance for rail and ferry.

Gavin Trimnell, Head of UK Sales at Parkeon, said that integrating the Arriva North West and Wales ticketing system across multiple ITSO regions created technical challenges but also underlined how ITSO was starting to join up across the country.

"The ITSO vision is for a fully integrated public transport network across Britain and this latest contract shows that it is now beginning to happen on the ground, with bus operators successfully criss-crossing multiple ITSO schemes for the benefit of their customers."

Phil Stone, Arriva North West & Wales Regional Managing Director, said the new ticketing system underlined the quickening pace of technology adoption among leading bus operators.

He commented: "Thanks to the inherent future-proof nature of Parkeon automatic fare collection platform, we feel confident that our investment in ticketing technology will deliver long-term value for us while also enhancing the passenger experience by enabling easier region-wide travel."

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