Transport Minister Chloe FOX has launched the very first deployment stage of Adelaide new ticketing system the 26th October 2011. Major Australian television channels and local press witnessed the event and were given possibility to try new equipment installed on board latest Scania articulated bus.
Adelaide Hills area has been chosen for live pilot with eleven buses. Passengers are already experimenting the new equipment with enthusiasm. The new validators are processing current low coercivity magnetic tickets fully compatible with the 25 years old current equipment. The back office system is already fully operational generating financial reports, sales accounting, patronage statistics, geo-localisation management and real time data transmission via 3G links.

The new system combines three technologies: low & high coercivity  magnetic tickets, and contact-less card (DesFire EV1) providing seamless transition from  current heritage system to the new Atlas system. Magnetic (HiCo) has been kept to provide  sound economical solution to casual users who will continue to enjoy  benefits of full transferability  between transportation means: buses, trains and trams.

Dual technology validators are installed on board all vehicles following DDA recommended position.

ATLAS uses Google Transit feed for the very first time to update geographical parameters including all route services. Combination between Google Transit feed and  on board GPS results in automatic update of localisation parameters each time a vehicle approaches one of the 10,000 stops of ADELAIDE area.

Installation on board the whole fleet will start early December 2011 and is scheduled to be finished early June 2012. Then  METROCARD, which will replace current MULTITRIP tickets will be gradually phased in. No reason for users to panic, current tickets will remain valid on the system several months after the  introduction of METROCARD.

Links for more:
News sur Channel 7
More pictures on Flickr