Statewide technology programs

We have major programs in progress across NSW to extend and integrate Opal Connect and Opal Contactless payment platforms to a wider range of public and privately operated transport services, payment schemes and customer preferences. This means more flexibility and seamless journeys for customers. We are also continuing improvements in real-time customer information and feedback systems, to make it easier for customers to plan their end to end journeys and receive personalised information.

These programs are the foundation for Mobility as a Service, which is at the core of offering customers more personalised and convenient choices, and preparing our systems for the future integration of ticketing concessions.

We will conduct more trials of connected and automated vehicles on a range of services and test integration with customer information, booking or payment capabilities to bring connected and automated vehicles into the transport and mobility system. There are even options to trial an automated rideshare service. We are also making regulatory, policy and technology changes so NSW will be ready for connected and automated vehicles.

We will continue to support the adoption of electric passenger and freight vehicles with additional charging points in regional centres and in commuter car parks. We are also transitioning the entire NSW bus fleet to zero-emissions technology for cleaner and quieter communities.

We are upgrading the rail timetable planning system to improve efficiencies and provide data to intelligent rail systems such as the Digital Systems Program.

We are delivering further projects to digitise and streamline driver licensing and vehicle registration, saving time for millions of customers. We are also helping customers with disability who are members of NSW’s Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme to travel more easily by developing a smart card to replace the paper docket system, and by providing a new booking service for wheelchair accessible taxis that use a range of technologies to meet customers’ individual needs and preferences. We also have further programs to share maritime safety data with other agencies to keep users of waterways safer.

We are exploring new ways to capture customer insights at more points along multimodal journeys. We understand that life can be complicated at certain times, and we will integrate transport information into the NSW Life Events website to provide support related to key life changes, including on transport, to help people to navigate government services more easily.

We are also investigating further programs to improve road and rail prioritisation to reduce delays and improve reliability, and to integrate real-time data into a Digital Twin for spatial visualisation, improved planning and for a platform for transport innovation.

Transport will deliver and investigate the following programs for customers across NSW:

Key to priority alignment

Mobility as a Service	Connected and automated vehicles	Zero emissions vehicles
Regional mobility	Freight efficiency	Sensors and intelligent systems

Ref	State-wide technology programs	Priority alignment
We will deliver
T001	Opal Next Generation Continuous improvement of the Opal smart ticketing system and other payment services (such as by using credit cards or devices) to create a seamless experience for customers when they plan, book and pay.
T002	Digital Customer Information Service Enhancements Continuous improvement of our digital assets, including apps, social media and websites, to enhance the customer experience and add new services and features.
T003	Upgraded customer feedback system Upgrade the Correspondence and Customer Feedback System used to more efficiently manage large volumes of correspondence and feedback, including a virtual assistant to interact with customers and provide useful information at first point of contact.
T004	CAV ready NSW Delivery of necessary regulation, policy, infrastructure, technology changes and community engagement to make NSW ready for the deployment of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs). This includes strategic partnerships and initiatives to support development of a local ecosystem and to reduce barriers to entry for international CAV developers.
T005	Zero-emissions buses Transition the NSW bus fleet to zero emissions technology, with over 50 zero emissions buses (ZEBs) ordered and investigations underway to scale to 8,000 ZEBS across regional and metropolitan NSW
T006	Rail Timetable Solution A modern, end-to-end operational planning system that will deliver efficiencies and cost savings in rail timetable production, and provide data to intelligent systems like the Digital Systems Program.
T007	Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme smartcard Replacement of outdated paper dockets with a new smartcard to help people with disability who receive subsidised taxi fares through the NSW Taxi Transport Subsidy Scheme to travel more easily.
T008	Wheelchair accessible taxi centralised booking service Provision of a new accessible taxi booking service for people with disability, that will start with phone and online bookings, and will be supplemented by voice recognition software, digital assistants, instant messaging and mobile applications to provide estimated vehicle arrival times and driver tracking capabilities.
T009	Digital Renewal Notices (jointly with Service NSW) Delivering greater value for millions of customers by enabling registration renewal notifications and alerts to occur via digital channels, allowing people to manage their registration.
T010	Digital photo card Customers with a NSW photo card can opt to access an electronic ‘card’ for visual and digital verification, to sign in at participating venues and as another form of identity for people experiencing homelessness.
T011	Mobile safety check inspection Technology to develop and implement a digital mobile application that enables expansion of the Mobile Pink Slip trial state-wide for light vehicles allowing vehicles to be inspected at a time and place of the customer’s choice.
T012	Maritime safe systems data excellence program Consolidation of maritime data sources, and data sharing capability between Transport's Centre for Maritime Safety, NSW Police, NSW Health, and the Royal Life Saving Society in relation to alcohol incidents.
We will also investigate
T013	CAV rideshare service A fully automated rideshare service trial that is integrated with customer digital channels (such as booking apps) and payment systems such as Opal
T014	PTIPS Priority SCATS expansion and enablement program Upgrading our traffic management software to enable greater prioritisation of buses, which will reduce delays and enable more reliable customer journeys using turn-up-and-go services.
T015	Rail Prioritisation System Upgrading our rail traffic management system across NSW to enhance evidence-based prioritisation of passenger and freight rail movements to minimise conflicts and reduce delays.
T016	Voice of the customer Technologies that enable the capture of voice-of-the-customer at touchpoints across the customer journey and an ongoing mechanism of engaging with our communities.
T017	Streamlined life events Supporting NSW’s ‘tell us once’ approach for using government services by integrating some transport transactions with Service NSW, so customers can request multiple types of services from one place
T018	Digital Twin program Integration of real-time data into a Transport Digital Twin that will interface with the NSW Spatial Digital Twin for use by whole of government and as a platform for transport innovation.
T019	Transport licensing and registration system modernisation and optimisation (known as DRIVES) Modernising our DRIVES licensing and registration systems to improve data and insights on regulatory performance and user experience and customer service, deploy contemporary technology and future-proof the system and support future changes to regulation and regulatory safety outcomes.
T020	Edge computing and sensors An artificial intelligence-enabled sensor network that uses edge computing to process information at the data source, reducing response times to incidents and making journey times more reliable.
T021	Digital bus stop timetables Installing digital displays for timetables and operational running time information for high commuter volume bus stops.
T022	Dynamic digital customer information solution A real time and responsive wayfinding and information system to better direct and inform customers and manage precincts across different operating modes
T023	CAV ready metropolitan and regional networks Identify, plan, develop and implement physical and digital infrastructure that will accelerate the readiness of metropolitan and regional road networks for CAV technology and fast tracking customer benefits.
T024	Research impact of COVID-19 on travel Three university research projects in partnership with iMove CRC to examine: how travel behaviour has changed and implications for the Strategic Travel Model which is used for future transport investment and travel forecasting. how flexible working can be encouraged to assist with travel demand management to remove peak congestion and make customer travel more enjoyable. how COVID-19 has impacted on freight logistics, including new freight trends that may become permanent and can be used for future freight modelling and prediction.
T025	Virtual reality research to explore customer preferences in movement and place University research to provide better direction in planning road and pedestrian spaces that customers prefer, balancing road safety outcomes with best practice place making.
T026	Cybersecurity reputation costs research University research on evidence to assess economic cybersecurity parameters for Cost Benefit Appraisal guidelines.
T027	Community transport research iMove CRC and university research to bring forward innovative local transport solutions that address community needs, focussed on using technology in the near term to tackle transport disadvantage.
T028	Research to improve workplace flexibility for frontline staff University research to understand the barriers for frontline workers having more flexible working, and exploring solutions that could easily improve workplace flexibility, including technology solutions.