Smartran Consulting

Smartran Consulting

Innovative, Independent Smart Business Solutions

Smartran Consulting is the leading provider of innovative independent consultancy services and practical solutions. Previous clients include Multi-National Conglomerates, JV (Joint Ventures), ESG and Major Government Departments, Finance and Payments, Transport and Mobility, and Technology.

Smartran Consulting offers a wide range of consulting services with the necessary tools and expertise to help grow your business. Specialising in Place, Payments and Technology, we partner with our clients from start to finish, focusing on their needs while combining our expertise in technology and project management to deliver valuable customer propositions and service improvements.

About Us

Smartran Consulting offers the comprehensive capabilities and deep industry knowledge necessary to help you solve the most complex issues of your organisation.

Smartran Consulting provides project delivery and consultancy services in transport ticketing including contactless, Smart City initiatives, student card schemes, resident card schemes, reward/ loyalty/ incentive schemes, payment and their convergence. We are experienced in network design, mobile applications and application architecture.

What we do

Discover Our Expertise and Smart Solutions

Smartran Consulting offers clients a broad range of professional expertise which can be applied to all stages of a project's life-cycle. We are currently assisting clients in the areas of transport ticketing, contactless payment applications, transformational Change, Fintech payment services, Local Authority Smart City initiatives, Net Zero objectives, resident smart cards, higher education, incentive schemes, and improved delivery of existing services.

We typically undertake assignments which make it easier for residents and customers to access our clients' services.We examine what organisations are doing to stay relevant and competitive in this fast-paced world, and which ones are doing it best. We then strategise using smart tools and global resources in order to understand the implications of every choice our clients can make.

Smart Transport

Smartran Consulting brings together a wealth of experience with smart card technology, Account Based Ticketing, contactless EMV, NFC mobile applications, fares and ticketing strategy and other transport ticketing methods. We have led projects to deliver customer friendly ticketing propositions and improved user experience including vending machines, validators, handheld machines and mobile apps. We have provided Contactless in Transit and ITSO technical consultancy support services to Transport Authorities and Operators to implement smart ticketing.

We managed the implementation and testing of innovative first of a kind cloud services which relies on contactless payment cards for touch on/touch off to speed up customer boarding and offer a best price proposition.

We have advised several major bidders with their propositions for back office systems, payment processing and Merchant Acquiring services based on the Transit EMV mechanism. We have had to address the complex challenges of multiple operators, multi-modal journeys, integration of different bus, gate and validator technology, apportionment of revenue and settlement back to the operators.

Smart Payments

Smartran Consulting has extensive experience in bank card and mobile payments through our work with VISA, Mastercard, Amex, WorldPay, Barclaycard, Global Payments, NMI, LittlePay, Unicard, Ingenico and Verifone.

We can advise on all aspects of payment acceptance, security and processing for face to face, self-service and on-line. Our payment experience includes Chip & PIN and contactless for self-service kiosks for rail, tram and parking, on line payment acceptance for ticketing and mobile apps and retail payment solutions using PAX, Verifone and Ingenico devices.

Our work has included physical equipment design, accessibility, network design, PSD2 requirements and approach to maintain PCIDSS certification. We have worked with Merchant Acquirers on the setup of accounts for both on line payment and contactless acceptance in Transit. We have brought together the key players in transit solutions to resolve issues around authorisation and debt management.

We can assist with integration, on-boarding, compliance, commercial arrangements, acceptance testing and ongoing support mechanisms.

Smart Strategy

Smartran Consulting has extensive experience undertaking short strategic reviews, technical investigation, research and longer-term project engagements for a wide range of organisations including multi-national conglomerates, local authorities, transport authorities, transport operators, city councils, universities and central government.

Our core skills and experience are in the areas of:

Proposition definition and development
Strategy and market position based around new product developments/acquisitions
Fares and ticketing strategy
Customer experience and expectations
Solutions fit to market, client targeting and market knowledge / experience
Sustainable service design and improvement at reduced cost
Bid writing, Bid reviews and proposals and advice on procurement

We have frequently been consulted about supplier, partner and consortium relationships. We have also advised on recruitment skill requirements, candidate suitability and other resource decisions.

Smartran offers a wide range of consulting services with the necessary tools and expertise to help grow your business. We partner with our clients from start to finish, focusing on their needs while producing new ideas, developing effective strategies and designing high quality and scalable solutions.

Expert Evidence

Our company boasts extensive expertise in handling complex contractual issues and disputes, with a proven track record of successful resolutions.

Notably, we recently served as Expert Witness in a high-profile case brought before the ICC Tribunal, where a public authority contested a technology services supplier. Our team expertly prepared two comprehensive reports, provided strategic guidance to our client, presented before the Tribunal, and effectively managed cross-examination as well as participation in an expert witness conference. This diligent effort culminated in a favorable outcome for our client, resulting in a substantial settlement.

With over 30 years of diverse experience in executing IT programs and projects, our team have successfully managed multi-million-pound initiatives, overseeing the processing of billions of pounds in revenue.

Our extensive background spans various sectors, including government, transportation, local authorities, oil and gas, finance, utilities, and technology, equipping us with the knowledge and skills to deliver exceptional results for our clients.

Local Government

Central government initiatives (e.g. Concessionary Transport, Bus Strategy), addressing the challenges of climate change and local requirements for access to services are driving local government to implement schemes which employ smart technology. We have extensive experience in driving multi-million pound transformational change projects.

We have helped local authorities use smart technology to implement concessionary transport schemes, incentives for active travel (see Eco Rewards), community transport enablement, cash collection services, access to library services, resident parking discounts, leisure service membership, support for looked after children and community health initiatives.

Whether you have an existing project underway, are planning an extension to an existing scheme or are considering how to tackle a new initiative, Smartran Consulting is uniquely placed to assist. We can respond to a wide range of requirements from our pool of subject experts and build an integrated project team with the right skills mix for a long term assignment. We can also deliver complete tailored solutions through MaaStran Ltd.

Smart Education

Smartran has extensive experience designing and implementing smart schemes for schools, colleges and Universities. We have extended resident card schemes to support multiple applications in secondary schools and helped Universities rollout multi-purpose cards for their staff and students.

We currently support over 20 schools and colleges in the Berkshire area with their active travel initiatives and enabling the recording of green active travel. We have advised transport operators and authorities on the implementation of student discounted travel using mobile Apps, barcodes and smart cards.

We have experience working with many of the key providers of systems and can help you deliver complex schemes to schedule and budget. We have detailed knowledge of payment methods, building access control, print/copy services, library access, attendance monitoring, transport services and other uses of smartcards and smart Apps.

Smart Transport

Smart Payments

Experience

Our broad systems, government and commercial experience enables us to undertake rapid short focused studies, major projects and contract management assignments. We typically work on the client side of an initiative calling on our experience in:

Assisting in the earliest stage of strategy definition
Undertaking requirements capture
Evaluating alternative approaches
Solution definition
Supporting tendering and supplier selection
Managing supplier development and delivery stages
Acceptance test planning and execution

Expertise

Our core team and consultants bring a wealth of expertise including:

Business Case verification and clarification
Technical solution design
System requirements definition
ITT preparation and supplier selection process
Service definition and organisation planning
Sustainable service improvement at reduced cost
Project, programme and contract management
Implementation management
Ongoing service delivery

Innovation

Finally, we have a track record of delivering better more effective solutions through innovation:

Proposition definition, development and realisation
Smart ticketing including future ticketing technology
Contactless cEMV in transit and as token for account based services
Scalable cloud based services
Applications of NFC and Bluetooth technology
Multi-application resident smart card schemes
Multi-purpose school and student card schemes
Reward and incentive schemes

Does your company need our services? Contact us today.

Get in Touch

END TO END SOLUTIONS

Independent, smart business solutions

We offer our expertise in:

Proposition definition and development
Project and Programme Management
EMV payment service integration and certification
PAYG (e.g Pay-As-You-Go capped fares)
Account Based Ticketing
Mobile Ticketing Apps
Setup and operation of multi-operator trials
Transaction reconciliation and settlement
Transition and rollout
Green travel rewards and incentives

We have substantial experience with ITSO schemes and can advise on combined schemes which encompass pre-paid travel, account-based ticketing, Transit EMV Model 1 (contactless with known fare) and Model 2 (post pay with aggregation and liability shift).

cEMV EXPERTISE

Fast, efficient and easy to use

The UK payment industry and transport sector has developed guidelines and rules for use of contactless payment cards in transit. We can help you understand these payment mechanisms and achieve compliance whilst avoiding pitfalls and delay. Smartran is a member of the VISA Ready Programme and has advised on multiple Transit EMV schemes.

Outside London many operators have implemented their own contactless acceptance, however, typically are not integrated with other operators and services. We can help you progress to the next stage where contactless is accepted by multiple operators and modes including local rail, tram, ferry
and bus (with touch on/off and fixed fares). Customers are charged the correct fare for the journey and can also benefit from off peak fares, zonal caps, daily caps, multi-day caps and green travel incentives.

DESIGN, BUILD, TEST AND IMPLEMENT

Fares, ticket types and customer experience.

Smartran Consulting brings wide-ranging capability and insight into fares, ticket types, service operations and customer experience. We have addressed the specific challenges aligning mobile apps and touch on/off with existing fare structures and achieving reliable operation. We have lead integration, EMV certification and field testing with payment service providers who have had to support new validation, authorisation, settlement and debt recovery flows. We can help you prepare customer communications and support arrangements including on-line guidance.

We can offer simple business case consultancy and strategy, through to a complete solution with our partners including: ETM’s, Validators, PSP’s Merchant Acquirors, TVM’s, Mobile Apps and Multi-Modal Ticketing (including UK Rail) for MaaS.

Are you looking to develop your business but not sure where to turn? Need help planning or executing your next project? Let us guide you. Any organisation can move forward with small incremental changes but building for the future in today’s rapidly evolving environment means taking bold insightful decisions.

We are offering both professional services and supply of technology from our business partners.

Please contact us to discover the many advantages for transport scheme providers, transport operators and their customers.