The contactless ticketing system on the interurban bus network run by Buscor in South Africa has been operating with ACS’ Atlas system and equipment since May. The operator was won over by the durability of the solution and the high-quality assistance provided.

"ACS always replies to our e-mail requests within the hour. And our technicians can call the hotline if there’s an emergency." Johann Bester, IT manager at Buscor, a South African operator, appreciates his responsive partners, especially during the tricky phase of implementing the new contactless ticketing system. Introduced in May on the 400 interurban buses operating throughout the Nelspruit urban area, the Atlas central system deployed by ACS (see also our article) still needs a few more adjustments before the 70,000 customers who use the network each day can appreciate its full potential.

Making the teams independent
"Team support is a vital part of our service offering,” explains Patricia Paoletti, project engineer at ACS. “Being available for customers is an excellent way to transfer our skills and help them become more independent." A few months ago, ACS arranged an initial one-month training course for all Buscor’s employees – drivers, inspectors, electro-mechanical engineers, etc. It included theory classes and practical workshops on how the Atlas system works. "A connection with one of our systems operating in a European city gave the trainees a taste of working in real monitoring conditions," explains Mathias Serre, key account manager at ACS.

Clarifying the customer’s needs early on
ACS is hence keeping up the level of commitment it made when the project was launched in March 2010. A dedicated team comprising a project manager, a technical leader and a system engineer was seconded to Buscor to participate in the initial discussions. Johann Bester explains: "Because they were there, we were able to ask the right questions and identify our current and future needs."  In other words: compatibility with the mileage module used by the authorities to calculate subsidies and the integration of new fare structures and new vehicles. Lastly, ACS assessed the adaptations that would be required in order to adopt contactless payment card technology in the future. Buscor’s IT manager sums up: "We opted for a durable solution."