Integrated Automated Fare Collection and Ticketing System to be launched next year

The Integrated Automated Fare Collection and Ticketing System for public transportation will be brought in place next year, a senior official of the Ministry of Transportation and Communication (MoTC) has said.

“The project is now seeing remarkable progress and will benefit the public transport services for the 2022 FIFA World Cup,” engineer Hamad Issa Abdullah, acting assistant undersecretary for Land Transport Affairs at MoTC told local Arabic daily Arrayah.

Described as the first of its kind in GCC, the new system provides a unified ticketing mechanism for public transport within Qatar’s internal transportation network, latest credit card payment technologies in addition to payment via smartphone and smartwatch.

“The smart card could be used in buses, metro and taxi. The project will provide the basic foundation for the mechanisms and processes of collecting and managing public transport fare and will facilitate the transportation of all public transport,” the MoTC official said.

In March 2019, MoTC signed a contract in this regard with Gulf Business Machines Qatar (GBM) in partnership with MSI Global of Singapore. The project is aimed at improving Qatar’s transportation system functionality, achieving integration and encouraging people to use public transport more frequently by providing a more flexible and seamless system. It also aims to achieve a set of environmental goals by helping in reducing emissions that result from the high use of private vehicles. Additionally, it aims to apply the country’s transportation systems integration plans through deploying the world’s latest technologies and best standards.

Moreover, the new system is hoped to lower traffic-related problems by easing pressure on road networks. It would also help increase traffic safety, achieve the economic goals associated with the efficiency of mobility, transportation and logistics services.

“MoTC is working on projects dedicated to meeting the requirements of road transport for the 2022 FIFA World Cup according to a specific work plan and timetable,” engineer Abdullah explained. The projects include increasing the capacity of the current road networks and implementing an ambitious and pivotal programme to provide infrastructure for public transport, construction of bus stations and their support services and linking them with road transport, providing the necessary fleet of buses and developing operational plans for the integration of bus transport with metro transport as well as using modern technologies for smart transportation systems to increase the capacity of transport and transportation networks and re-planning traffic in congested areas.

Source: Gulf Times