Smartspace Software Share Discussion Threads

[garth] 02/1/2007 08:06

Thanks for the comments guys. I'll attempt to contact again when I get a moment. I'm looking forward to a more eventful year with these....

G.

[blueliner] 01/1/2007 19:27

Bought in 11 months ago, have to agree SMRT (why don't they drop the advanced) have zero visibility in the share community. All I've got to show in my cuttings file is two house brokers notes plus a piece by Hoodless Brennan.
I have to remind myself frequently why I sit on these.

[hectorp] 01/1/2007 13:13

AWilson, garth ( excellent little prospect this and well done, and you brought it to my attention for 2007-8)

- tell the managment in no uncertain terms that the PROBLEM of their poor public relations is now commonly debated on the public BB and refer them to this thread. It may help.

[garth] 28/12/2006 17:17

Awilson,

Agreed. I phoned and left a message myself some days ago. The only time I have actually spoken to the company Mr Braddock phoned me back himself.

I have phoned and spoken to the broker in the past - they seem to handle some investor questions.

Up at tick this afternoon - is that down to you spud?!?

G.

[awilson] 28/12/2006 14:53

It is slightly disconcerting that whenever one calls SMRT, one is answered by a pre-recording saying that they are unable to take the call and would one leave a message.
But SMRT does not reply.
This has been the case for as long as I have been trying so it is not a holiday period occurence.
In PR terms, it is somewhat negative to say the least and makes supporters who are investors unhappy.
Has anyone got access to the company to make the point. As the full year results are due within the next three weeks, the coy has to urgently consider how to vastly improve its profile and information it should be sending to its investors, aka owners.

[spud] 27/12/2006 14:37

Now onboard with a micro marker. Looking to add in volume.

spud

[wjccghcc] 22/12/2006 10:35

Can't see any overlap myself COLSMITH. Biometric ID cards very different from the ITSO standard in what data is stored and how. Readers will need to be a lot more secure than the contactless type.

The travel standard is interesting though.

[colsmith] 22/12/2006 09:37

Anyone got views on the relationship between the ITSO standard and National ID cards, which are aparently gong to come in the UK. I would have thought as both are a Government inititive and the technical demands have considerable overlap, at least in the card to terminal interface level, that ITSO is in there. If so its of relevence to SMRT.

PS - all the best for 2007 GARTH and the other commited followers.

[garth] 20/12/2006 22:16

Thank you both for your kind comments. Best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous 2007.

G.

[awilson] 20/12/2006 19:20

Spud

I agree with you - Garth has to be thanked by all long term holders for his assiduous efforts on our behalf.

Can I also suggest we all keep to this thread. It is boring to have to alternate.

[spud] 20/12/2006 14:52

garth

This thread is a credit to yourself as the instigator and provider of great detail and all contributors also.

This is on my radar and will look to purchase in due course.

Merry Christmas to all.

spud

[colsmith] 20/12/2006 09:25

garth - and Stagecoach are 49% of Virgin on West Coast and bidding with Virgin on GNER so maybe more to come from the South West experience.

PS - someone asked about the voting rights RNS above - just seen the same on TRT. One thing it makes clear is that a large buyer needs to know for the 3% holding rule.

[garth] 19/12/2006 15:42

From the ITSO AGM, prospective licencees. Testing for ITSO certification is now well booked through 2007....

GMPTE Readycard
Nottinghamshire Freedomcard
Southampton City Card
Wales
Yorcard
Stagecoach South West (Rail Franchise)
TfL
And others

[garth] 19/12/2006 10:51

Ram,

ITSO is the DfT's national smartcard standard for interoperable ticketing. Scotland and Wales are already committed to ITSO with schemes already well defined and/or in operation. Recent UK rail tenders have stipulated ITSO/Oyster ticketing. The European (French) standard - Calypso - is in the final throws of ITSO certification to enable Anglo-European interoperability. The local Government roadmap for smartcards includes ITSO. The ITSO membership reads like a who's-who of the transport industry. ITSO have even indicated how ITSO & RFID could be used for conjestion charging and plans. But it doesn't stop at transport. The system has been specified to allow multi-applications (as part of the local authority roadmap). As stated in the Nowcard piece a few posts up the thread:

"Future plans include smart cards with an electronic purse, commercial smart cards, multi-operator smart cards and student travel cards"

And now the Department for Transport, in the context of waxing lyrical on the progress made with ITSO, is now stating in writing:

"The Department is looking at the potential for using smartcards as part of the national concessionary fares scheme to be launched April 2008."

With so much progress and investment already made I can so no reason whatsoever why the Tories would not want to continue using ITSO. What else would/could they use? There isn't anything that makes sense. That's why I continue to hold and used the recent dip as a welcome opportunity to add. £8m market cap, £3m profit pencilled in for 2008. They may come no where close to that but I see very little downside - so I'll happily wait and watch as the story unfolds.

G.

Edit. P.s. - And I expect us to jump back above 4.25p before very long. But that's just a hunch.

[rambutan2] 19/12/2006 10:37

cheers garth.

do the opposition ie tories, back a nationwide-style itso rollout or do they have any alternative ideas?

[garth] 19/12/2006 10:28

Ram,

The Shetland Islands is the first part of the Scotland-wide roll out. Because it is a self-contained area it provides the opportunity to iron out any glitches. There is more on the Shetlands in the posts surrounding this one:


garth - 22 Nov'06 - 11:12 - 253 of 286 edit


This is the initial framework agreement from this summer. Source ERG website:

Date Of Media Release 09/05/2006
Title ERG Transit Systems Selected as Preferred Supplier of Electronic Ticket Machines to Stagecoach Scotland
Contact Glen Smith
Phone [phone]
Fax [phone]
Email [e-mail]
Division ERG Group

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ERG Transit Systems Selected as Preferred Supplier of Electronic Ticket Machines to Stagecoach Scotland
ERG Transit Systems (UK) Ltd announced today that it has been selected as preferred supplier by Stagecoach to supply ERG's ITSO conditionally certified fare collection solution for Stagecoach bus operations in Scotland, in a deal expected to be worth more than £2.3 million.

After an extensive appraisal process of all potential vendors, ERG's TP5000 Electronic Ticketing Machine and TRACS Depot software, including wireless LAN capability, were selected.

In late 2005 ERG was included in the framework agreement by the Scottish Executive to be an official supplier of ticketing equipment to operators taking part in the Scottish National Concessionary Travel Scheme.

"I am delighted with this news so soon after the announcement concerning our conditional ITSO certification. We will continue to provide the highest level of service and support as a key supplier to Stagecoach in Scotland", said Jay Prothero, Managing Director of ERG Transit Systems (UK) Ltd.

The roll out of approximately 1,600 ticket machines and 40 depots will take place across Scotland during the remainder of 2006."

[rambutan2] 19/12/2006 10:16

wonder how much they make from the bus fleet on the shetland islands!

but seriously, it does look as though things are progressing in the right direction and some critical mass is being gained.

[garth] 19/12/2006 08:38

And just one more - straight from the Government's mouth, House of Commons written answers, just 2 weeks ago:

"6 Dec 2006 : Column 412W
Fares: Technology

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department is making towards the introduction of smart card technology outside London. [107418]

Dr. Ladyman: The Department is supporting a number of schemes that are implementing the ITSO national standard for interoperable transport smart cards.

The 'NoWcard' scheme is live in Blackpool and full roll out across the remainder of Lancashire and Cumbria is expected over the next year.

Cheshire county council is migrating from its existing smartcard scheme to the ITSO standard with an initial rollout by the end of 2006 further stages following incrementally across their scheme. Nottinghamshire and Southampton are expected to complete their migration from existing schemes by April 2008.

The 'Yorcard' pilot, based on a number of bus and rail routes in South Yorkshire, is expected to go live with an ITSO scheme towards the end of 2007.

The use of ITSO has also been included in the new South Western rail Franchise to be implemented by 2009.

Scotland and Wales are also using ITSO based smartcards for their national bus concession scheme for older and disabled persons. Over 1 million cards have been issued and their entire bus fleets are being equipped with the necessary card readers over the coming months. The bus fleet on the Shetland Islands introduced the ITSO standard during November.

The Department is looking at the potential for using smartcards as part of the national concessionary fares scheme to be launched April 2008."



ITSO is only just starting to really roll and SMRT are already profitable. National concessionary fares? That's an ITSO reader in every bus in the UK.... Trains too? What else could they use those cards for? (see the business gazette piece above) 2008 is, incidently, the year that SMRT's profits are pencilled in to hit £3m.... (although I remain cautious on those)

DYOR.

G.

[garth] 19/12/2006 08:23

More on Nowcard. The second piece is very interesting:

Sept-05
Wayfarer ITSO Press Release
NoW EVEN MORE ITSO PROGRESS

The NoWcard programme in the North West goes from strength to strength in proving the advantages of integrated transport technology developed by Wayfarer Transit Systems.

The smart card scheme was the first in the country to demonstrate true on-bus ITSO capability – now comes news of a major expansion of the project.

The same Wayfarer ticketing technology being used to drive the ground-breaking ITSO pilot in the Bolton and Blackburn local authority areas is now being adopted by Stagecoach North West as part of a massive investment in revenue collection systems.

The latest development will see Stagecoach introduce almost 500 Wayfarer TGX150 machines with contactless smart card readers onto their bus fleet in Cumbria and Lancashire over the next few months. Initially, the technology will drive a paper-based ticketing system but the contract includes a technical roadmap as part of the NoWcard scheme leading to full ITSO smart card compliance.

The first part of the project has "gone live " in Carlisle, Preston, Fleetwood and Chorley, with the programme rolling out across the other four company depots at three weekly intervals, with the entire project completed by early November.

"This is a major investment in what we see as the future for integrated passenger transport," says Stagecoach North West project manager Stephen Barber. "The TGX150 platform will enable us to accommodate our current ticketing systems while ensuring the we have the technology in place to move to full ITSO compliance at the appropriate stage in the NoWcard development."

The NoWcard smart card programme has been set up jointly by Cumbria and Lancashire County Councils, and Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool Borough Councils, in conjunction with the District Councils of Lancashire and Cumbria. Working closely with bus operators and other agencies, each local authority is issuing NoWcards and equipping buses with new or upgraded revenue collection technology.

Each contactless NoWcard carries a microchip, which gives details of concessionary fare discounts, and interacts with the ticketing systems to check its validity and provide the correct fare information.

The Bolton and Blackburn project was the first to prove the ITSO concept 'on bus' by successfully offering residents a smart card that is valid across both local authority and regional transport authority boundaries. The scheme also demonstrated the ability of the technology to link card usage to payment for distinct services, including transport and local authority facilities.

www.wayfarer.co.uk
...........................................

All aboard, as Cumbria gets a first taste of smart bus travel

What would Reg Varney make of it all? The new NoWcard for bus passengers that comes into usage in Cumbria this month has as much in common with On the Buses as space travel has with flying paper kites. They mean an end to paper tickets, shorter queues and less hanging around waiting to get on buses.

Packed with the sort of technology that the 'clippie' of yesteryear could only dream about, the new smart card is the culmination of four years of development work by Cumbria County Council, the Department of Transport and partner authorities Blackpool Borough Council, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council and Lancashire County Council, plus 18 other district councils.

The £6m project is the first time the new Integrated Transport Smartcard Organisation (ITSO) specification for smart cards has been fully deployed on buses and it represents a unique achievement for local government planning.

Indeed, Neil Scales, chair of ITSO, goes so far as to describe it as world-beating technology that will help to jump-start the digital economy. "The NoWcard will modernise the way millions of people use public transport, reducing the need for them to queue and enabling them to get through ticket gates and onto buses much more quickly and efficiently," he says.

"Not only will this new technology transform the face of transport as we know it, it can support a variety of other types of applications," he explains.

"It will reduce the number of cards in people's purses or wallets and it will provide them with a secure, mobile identity that they can use to access a variety of different services. We are breaking new ground with this, not just nationally but internationally," he adds.

The NoWcards are Mifare 1k 'smart cards' jam-packed with data in a standard format by Wayfarer Transit Systems. They identify the holder with a photograph and his or her concessionary fare entitlement. When the holder presents his NoWcard to the ticket machine on the bus for the first time, the card is converted electronically from the original Wayfarer format to the new ITSO-compliant technology. In a flash, the smart card automatically prompts the ticket machine to calculate the correct concessionary entitlement and the relevant fare for the journey.

At the end of each driver's shift, all the transaction data is encrypted, downloaded and sent electronically to the ITSO Head Office Processing System (IHOPS), a service provided by the Royal Bank of Scotland. IHOPS subsequently passes on the data to the NoWcard Payment and Charges System (NoWPAC), which calculates and produces both detailed invoices for concessionary travel for the district authorities and the revenue credit due to each bus operator.

The Integrated Transport Smartcard Organisation (ITSO) specification was actually launched in 2004 and has been designed to allow a variety of smart cards to be used and recognised by different types of electronic ticket machines. It is now the government specification for all public-funded transport smart card schemes across the UK.

NoWcards have been issued to more than 260,000 concessionary bus pass holders across the North West's partnership area, including Cumbria – a figure that is likely to grow considerably in the months and years ahead. Blackpool Transport was the first bus company in the UK to be equipped with the technology last month, closely followed by Stagecoach North West which operates throughout our county.

Councillor Ian Stewart, Cumbria County Council's cabinet member for transport, enthuses about the partnership between the various authorities involved because: "the start of the roll-out of NoWcard puts the North West ahead of the rest of Britain and also the rest of the world. It is a fantastic application of technology that allows our district councils to use accurate and up-to-the-minute information when calculating concessionary fares."

All other major bus operators are expected to follow suit and the intention is to have all 1,800 buses in the region operational during 2007.

NoWcard has grant-aided bus operators throughout the operational area to help them to install smart ticketing technology and over the longer-term the aim of the NoWcard partners is to provide an inter-operable smart card-based system capable of expansion to cover all smart card types. Future plans include smart cards with an electronic purse, commercial smart cards, multi-operator smart cards and student travel cards.

Gillian Merron MP, Parliamentary Undersecretary of State, says the government is committed to promoting and supporting technological solutions that make life simpler and easier for travellers."ITSO provides the framework for smartcard systems that work wherever you are and pioneering schemes such as NoWcard are making this ground-breaking technology a reality," she adds. "I congratulate all those involved in developing the scheme which will deliver real benefits to both passengers and bus operators."

[garth] 19/12/2006 07:08

Agree with comments re this being more of a business update than a trading update. That said, the company told us in September that trading was in line with expectations and if that had changed they would have taken the opportunity to tell us yesterday.

The announcement shows that the system is up and running and standing up to use in the market place. Sounds to me like taking the opportunity to keep investors and the market informed of progress - which is nice. The other slant of course is that they are taking the opportunity - in the light of recent announcements by TFL & Barclaycard - to shout just a little about the success of their own cashless solution: already in place, robust, and in use by Stagecoach and others.

Don't forget that the Government are funding Oyster's transformation to ITSO compatibility and are stipulating ITSO/Oyster on new mainland rail franchise tenders for 2008/9.

Makes the 2.6p price in November look a giveaway and the current price very attractive, IMO. One day - and it may still be some way off - the wider investment community will notice these. ;0)

G.

[garth] 19/12/2006 06:58

Advanced Smart Trading Update

Advanced Smartcard Technologies plc
(The "Company")

Trading Update

18 December 2006

Advanced Smartcard Technologies plc (SMRT.LN), the Scottish based software group
specialising in smartcard technology, is pleased to announce that over a million
journeys have been taken by users of a NoW smartcard since the ITSO Smartcard
scheme was implemented by Metro Coastlines in September 2006.

The ITSO Smartcard system, which uses the Company's leading edge MultefileTM
technology, is a new national standard system that replaces cash and traditional
passes on buses. With over a million journeys now logged, the system has been
well received by passengers and is now accepted across Metro Lines' fleet of
over 200 buses and trams in the Fylde Coast area (Blackpool).

David Braddock, Managing Director of Advanced Smartcard Technologies plc,
commented:

"We are delighted that the ITSO Smartcard scheme has been so well received and
has passed this important milestone. We look forward to the ITSO Smartcard
scheme being adopted by other transport operators across the UK and
internationally."

[omgwhid2] 19/12/2006 06:34

Anyone interested in this sector really needs to take a long look at I D DATA - IDD.

[bonty] 19/12/2006 00:22

From UK Analyst's Stock Market report:

"Advanced Smartcard Technologies (SMRT) delighted punters with news that over a million journeys had been taken by users of a NoW smartcard since the ITSO Smartcard in September. The ITSO system, which uses the company's leading edge MultefileTM technology, is a new national standard system that replaces cash and traditional passes on buses. With over 1 million journeys now logged, the system has clearly been accepted in Blackpool, and has perhaps increased the possibilities for a wider roll out. The shares in Advanced Smartcard finished 0.25p better at 3.375p."

[wjccghcc] 18/12/2006 19:51

Yup, I'd call it a Business Update rather than Trading Update.

[pyman] 18/12/2006 15:12

great! funny old trading update though- would like to see some statment re finnancial postion or earnings projections.