Ticketer has underlined the industry take-up of and positive response to its passenger counting feature, which enables drivers to register customers that board and alight.
The passenger count is measured against defined capacity thresholds for each vehicle. They are set via the Ticketer portal. Through boarding and alighting information inputted by the driver, live loading data is made available to operators. That can then be passed on to customers, informing them of how many seats are available before the bus arrives at their stop.
Additionally, the driver can mark whether the wheelchair user bay is occupied. That information can also be made available to passengers via apps.
The concept of passenger counting was developed by Ticketer in partnership with First Bus and it was brought to market quickly. Since then, rapid rollout has commenced with other operators large and small.
Among them is Reliance Motor Services of Sutton-on-the-Forest. Says Partner Gary Newby: “This improves our ability to deliver safe and reliable services for our customers. Our drivers have embraced the feature. After a short trial period, we are using it across our network.”
Go-Ahead Group also reports that drivers have taken to the development well. Project Manager Graham Pather says it received positive feedback from them “within hours” and that it has given them the confidence that they can manage their bus and the service safely and easily.
Transdev Blazefield is another operator that quickly adopted passenger counting. Says CEO Alex Hornby: “The ability to record customers on board is something that our drivers have found incredibly helpful and reassuring. We embrace how this information can then be opened up for users to view available seats via our Transdev Go app and website.”
Mr Hornby adds that the functionality will be “a positive legacy of lockdown” as bus networks are rebuilt.
Ticketer CEO John Clarfelt says that Ticketer “remains committed to finding new ways to support operators through these challenging times.”
