Unicard Become First Transport Solutions Supplier To Gain Itso 2.1.5 Certification

Unicard, an established provider of smart ticketing and payment solutions to the public and commercial transport sector, has become the first supplier to have its software partially certified as compliant with the first phase of the new ITSO Specification version 2.1.5.

In March the Department for Transport approved the long-awaited release of the latest ITSO Specification for integrated smart ticketing on public transport.

Unicard successfully completed 2.1.5 testing of their PSEngine PersoPOST software with ITSO, and has received confirmation from ITSO that all necessary requirements for certification were met.

ITSO Specification version 2.1.5 introduces features such as media tailored for in-wallet digital ticketing. This reflects ITSO’s response to industry trends and government initiatives aimed at digitising transport ticketing, and offering passengers the choice between digital or physical ticket options.

Unicard is now updating its other ITSO products so it is ready for ITSO certification for phase 2 of version 2.1.5 and can then be made available for customers.

ITSO CEO Steve Holden said: “Collectively we worked hard to realise version 2.1.5 and it is great to see Unicard with the first of many updates across the supply chain. Unicard has worked hard to bring this development forward, and we look forward to working with Unicard, and all our supplier members in the coming years to realise 2.1.5 across the UK.”

Unicard CTO Mike Sussman said: “ITSO solutions have been an integral part of Unicard’s products since we first certified with ITSO in 2010. We’re delighted to be the first supplier to certify partially for ITSO 2.1.5. This demonstrates our commitment to assuring continued ITSO compliance for all our customers.”

Unicard’s ITSO SME Michael Cuthbertson is one of the UK’s experts on the ITSO Specification and has been a member of the ITSO Technical Committee for the last 13 years (including chairing it while working at ITSO before joining Unicard).

At Unicard, he is involved at an advanced technical level with all our ITSO products – from supporting customers to testing ITSO products and analysing ISAMs.

He said of Unicard’s new certification from ITSO: “This shows our continued commitment to the future of ITSO and marks the start of our rollout of 2.1.5 certification across our other ITSO products.”

The approval of version 2.1.5 comes 15 years after the release of the previous version 2.1.4. In June 2024, ITSO issued a draft version of 2.1.5 for review by its members – who include Unicard – and the specification was refined based on members’ feedback.