The Electronic Transactions Development Agency of Thailand Joins the OSPT Alliance

“The Thai Common Ticket Project is a very important part of the strategic mission of the government of Thailand to improve the transportation infrastructure throughout the country, and the goal is to have this implemented to follow the plan of Thailand 2020,” said Surangkana Wayuparb, CEO of the ETDA. “Through the support and cooperation offered by the OSPT Alliance, we can provide the transportation industry in Thailand with the flexibility of an open security standard they can use instead of proprietary solutions and avoid vendor lock-in as they implement this national infrastructure.”

The Thai Common Ticket Project will allow commuters to carry one ticket for access to transportation systems through Thailand. The government of Thailand has targeted public transportation improvement as one of its primary missions for the upcoming Thailand 2020 Project. The creation of a transportation infrastructure investment plan is an important part of this project, and will result in greatly expanded service. Rail transportation in Bangkok, for example, will be increased within seven years from 4 lines with a total distance of 80 km to 10 lines with a total distance of 410 km. When considering a common ticketing technology for this expanded transportation infrastructure, it will be important to ensure that the migration from the current fare collection scheme to a new one maintains interoperability.

“We are pleased to have the Electronic Transactions Development Agency of Thailand join the OSPT Alliance as an associate member, and look forward to working with them on the Thai Common Ticket Project,” said Laurent Cremer, executive director for the OSPT Alliance. “The ETDA recognizes the strategic importance of creating and maintaining an open, flexible transit fare collection system and the role that the CIPURSE open security standard and the OSPT Alliance can play in making this possible.”

The CIPURSE open security standard addresses the need by local and regional transit authorities for future-proof fare collection systems with more advanced security than currently in use. Because it is an open standard, CIPURSE promotes vendor neutrality, cross-vendor system interoperability, lower technology adoption risks, higher quality and improved market responsiveness, all of which result in lower operating costs and greater flexibility for transport system operators.

Designed as a layered, modular architecture with application-specific profiles, the open and secure CIPURSE V2 standard comprises a single, consistent set of specifications for all security, personalization, administration and life-cycle management functions needed to create a broad range of interoperable transit applications – from inexpensive single-ride or daily paper tickets to rechargeable fixed-count or weekly plastic tickets to longer-term smart card- or smart phone-based commuter tickets that can also support loyalty and other applications.

About the ETDA

The Electronic Transactions Development Agency (Public Organization) or ETDA was established on February 22, 2011 by an eponymous Royal Decree. The establishment was based on the Public Organization Act 1999 and the agency is to be under the supervision of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. ETDA’s goal are to develop, promote, and support electronic transactions or electronic transaction services in both the public and private sectors. According to its establishment objectives, ETDA is to play a key role in research studies and offer recommendations on policy, law, standards, and security. Its scope of work covers surveys of infrastructure requirements of both the business and public sectors that are conducive to electronic transactions. Other activities include providing integral infrastructure for on-line transactions and capacity building of personnel with advanced security skills in sufficient numbers to meet the demand of the business and public sectors, while making sure that such personnel will apply their security knowledge and expertise to mitigate risks from any online threats. ETDA’s first step is to fulfill its role in driving forward, developing, promoting, and supporting the country’s online transactions. These efforts aim at creating a secure environment that builds confidence and trust in transactions services and activities online or by electronic means. For more information, please visit www.etda.or.th.

About the OSPT Alliance

The OSPT Alliance is an international association chartered to define a new open standard for secure transit fare collection solutions. It provides industry education, creates workgroup opportunities and catalyzes the development and adoption of innovative fare collection technologies, applications and services. The OSPT Alliance was founded by leading technology companies, and membership is open to technology providers, transit operators, consultants, solution vendors, government agencies and other stakeholders in the transit ecosystem. For additional information, please visit www.osptalliance.org.