MPTE Walrus Smart Card

[MPTE1021]

MPTE Walrus Smart Card
Hello, does anyone now when the all zone walrus smartcard will be able available to buy online finally? Thanks

[Harryn9000]

RE: MPTE walrus smart card
being honest with ya i would say middle of next year i think there behind on rest of them going live as very interested myself

[M113 YKC]

RE: MPTE walrus smart card

(25/12/2012 17:30)MPTE1021 Wrote:  Hello, does anyone now when the all zone walrus smartcard will be able available to buy online finally? Thanks

Just a bit of information... I trialled that failure. Merseytravel claimed that all drivers at Avon Buses and Cumfybus, who participated in the trail, knew about it - which they never. I used it three times and, after the third, I gave-up because it was embarrassing to use (explaining myself every time and being asked if it was a forged card, etc..., in front of a load of passengers who were waiting to get to their destination). I had problems with the card itself, such as it being "VOID" on the ETMs on-board buses. I gave-in my feedback to them but I suppose that they're only interested in the positive feedback, as usual, because I've had no further feedback from them...!

I'll be sticking to operator-only tickets when possible in the future!

[CX06 EBK (Administrator)]

RE: MPTE walrus smart card
Since Saveaways are riddled with errors such as being rejected at station barriers, I can only assume the Walrus card will be just another Merseytravel mess up. This is Merseytravel though so I expect those errors will never be rectified.

[B10B6514]

RE: MPTE walrus smart card
The best trial for the Walrus project would be school and college Trio tickets, therefore being able to iron out any software issues with a section of the community that embraces new technology.

[T42 PVM (Moderator)]

RE: MPTE walrus smart card
no thank you lol being a college kid myself i refuse :P i want to get to and from college and with the problems mr mills has had all its going to do is make me run late

[First Class]

RE: MPTE walrus smart card
The All Zone TRIO is already for sale at Merseytravel ticket centres and is working without any problems whatsoever, (other than letting people travel to Chester/Ormskirk/Ellesmere Port when not supposed to).

The All Zone Railpass will be being sold at selected rail stations in Spring 2013.

ITSO is a very reliable technology, and improvements are continually in development. Millions of bus ITSO passes are in circulation in the form of OAP and Disabled concession passes.

The problem with Merseytravel was that instead of just sticking with one supplier/manufacturer for all ITSO/Walrus related equipment, they went for the cheapest, resulting in a variety of manufacturers.

They should have stuck with one experienced supplier, (i.e. Cubic Transportation), for all equipment, (which to be fair is quite expensive, but you get what you pay for) rather than just going for the cheapest they can find.

This will get brought in sooner rather than later, because the DfT, Merseytravel and the Operators will be keen to reduce certain costs, especially relating to employment of staff.

[Bevan Price]

RE: MPTE walrus smart card

(26/12/2012 15:31)First Class Wrote:  The All Zone TRIO is already for sale at Merseytravel ticket centres and is working without any problems whatsoever, (other than letting people travel to Chester/Ormskirk/Ellesmere Port when not supposed to).

The All Zone Railpass will be being sold at selected rail stations in Spring 2013.

ITSO is a very reliable technology, and improvements are continually in development. Millions of bus ITSO passes are in circulation in the form of OAP and Disabled concession passes.

The problem with Merseytravel was that instead of just sticking with one supplier/manufacturer for all ITSO/Walrus related equipment, they went for the cheapest, resulting in a variety of manufacturers.

My ITSO pass works OK on Merseyrail ticket gates, and on many buses locally, and elsewhere in England, but it often gives error (pass not valid, etc.) messages on some operators' buses. Strangely, on Stagecoach Manchester, it seems to work on all buses except those from Stockport depot.

[First Class]

RE: MPTE walrus smart card

(26/12/2012 19:51)Bevan Price Wrote:  

(26/12/2012 15:31)First Class Wrote:  The All Zone TRIO is already for sale at Merseytravel ticket centres and is working without any problems whatsoever, (other than letting people travel to Chester/Ormskirk/Ellesmere Port when not supposed to).

The All Zone Railpass will be being sold at selected rail stations in Spring 2013.

ITSO is a very reliable technology, and improvements are continually in development. Millions of bus ITSO passes are in circulation in the form of OAP and Disabled concession passes.

The problem with Merseytravel was that instead of just sticking with one supplier/manufacturer for all ITSO/Walrus related equipment, they went for the cheapest, resulting in a variety of manufacturers.

My ITSO pass works OK on Merseyrail ticket gates, and on many buses locally, and elsewhere in England, but it often gives error (pass not valid, etc.) messages on some operators' buses. Strangely, on Stagecoach Manchester, it seems to work on all buses except those from Stockport depot.

The most common reasons for an ITSO card failing to "register" is a fault with the iSAM Card contained within whatever is reading the card, (e.g. ticket barrier/ticket machine etc).

It is basically a bit bigger than a normal SIM card and allows the device to communicate with the ITSO card securely. The iSAM cards automatically "expire" if they can't sync with the central server every 56 days. If there is a network problem, it can cause the iSAMs to expire, and they will cease to operate until they can be re-synced. It is a security measure so any that are stolen to be "exploited" automatically deactivate.

In your particular example, it would appear that the network connection between Stockport Depot and the Central "HOPS" server is not functional for whatever reason, which have caused the iSAMs to expire. Once the local network connection is resolved, and the iSAMs either replaced or synced, it will be back to normal.

If the iSAM is damaged or the network connection cannot be fixed, you are pretty much screwed for months as the iSAM cards are like hens teeth to obtain, (due to various security requirements) which is why defective equipment can take a while to replace.

As I alluded to earlier, although the ITSO format is very reliable, it is dependent on a number of other potentially unreliable systems, (like typical workplace networks), which cause the problems.



(ITSO Security Application Modules - iSAM)

[R879 HRF]

RE: MPTE Walrus Smart Card
Hopefully in the future theyll iron out all the problems and advance to allow more variety- a Pay as you go version of the Walrus (like the TfL Oyster cards or Cheshire Travelcard) would be nice, especially in this day in age where cashless payment is increasingly popular, not to mention it would be beneficial - look how big the oyster is in London, surley MPTE could manage something similar and have it just as succesful!

I can hope anyway!

Luke