INTERVIEW
Sam Sherwood-Hale spoke to Ken Cameron, Managing Director UK at Scheidt & Bachmann, about the rollout of new FareGo PG|50 ticket gates at Tyne and Wear Metro's Regent Centre station and how the technology balances modern contactless travel with inclusive access for all passengers
SSH: What specific metrics or data drove the decision to prioritise Regent Centre as the first station for the FareGo PG|50 gates: was it based on passenger volume, fare evasion rates, or other operational factors? KC: A combination of factors were considered: patronage, fare evasion rates and the frequency of antisocial behaviour incidents. These were then evaluated alongside one more factor: the ease (and therefore cost) of installation. A feasibility study is currently underway which will further identify which additional Metro stations might be suitable for the installation of the new automatic ticket gates. In the new year, plans will begin to update the stations identified. SSH: You’ve mentioned that the gates are ‘part of a wider initiative to improve safety and reduce fare evasion’. Can you quantify the scale of fare evasion challenges, both at Regent Centre and across the Metro network? KC: Fare evasion is relatively low for a system the size of the Tyne and Wear Metro, but it remains an issue Nexus are determined to drive down as much as possible. At present, 13 out of their 60 stations have gate lines. These include the busiest stations on Metro, meaning, under normal circumstances, 75 per cent of customers must pass through a gate along their journey. SSH: Installation is scheduled for completion later in 2025. What's the detailed timeline, and how will you minimise disruption to passengers? KC: Civil engineering work to prepare the Regent Centre station for the installation of the FareGo PG|50 gates is well under way. The completion of this phase will then more accurately define the plan for the remaining rollout. Already, the area designated for the gates has been secured from public access and creates no disruption to passengers. SSH: What lessons learnt from your existing Scheidt & Bachmann fare collection infrastructure at other Metro stations influenced the specifications for these FareGo PG|50 gates? KC: The experience of almost 20 years of gate operation in North America and Europe
has been incorporated into the development of the FareGo PG|50 and its deployment. Particular focus has been placed on the total cost of ownership for our transport partners, which is especially influenced by its service-friendly design. Furthermore, it was important to be able to respond to future technologies and changing ticket requirements. This is why we went with a modular design for the FareGo PG|50, allowing us the possibility of evolving with our transport partner’s ticketing system and, among other specific capabilities, making seamless any future upgrades to future digital ticket media. SSH: Scheidt & Bachmann operates across parking, EV charging, signalling, and fare collection. How do insights from your other business divisions translate into features passengers will notice in these gates? KC: Scheidt & Bachmann’s recipe for success in all these industries is based on extensive engineering expertise combined with high value creation depth, which allows us to deliver durable and seamless mobility solutions. In particular, the parking, EV charging, and fare collection industries share a common trend: moving towards increasingly digital offerings and adopting cashless payment options for physical credit cards and mobile phones.
‘At present, 13 out of our 60 stations have gate lines. These include the busiest stations on Metro, meaning, under normal circumstances, 75 per cent of customers must pass through a gate along their journey.’
SSH: With 7.6 million monthly transactions across your UK operations (TNS interview, 2024), how does this experience inform your approach to the Metro implementation? KC: The growing adoption of debit and credit card payments places increasing demands on system performance, demanding rapid transaction speeds, robust reliability and a seamless experience for passengers. These requirements are most visible at ticket vending machines, where delays or failures can directly impact customer satisfaction and throughput. However, as transaction processing extends to the gate line, the stakes become even higher. This shift underscores the need for resilient infrastructure, low-latency networks and proactive monitoring to ensure consistent performance across all touchpoints. SSH: The FareGo PG|50 design ‘facilitates right-hand tapping’. What passenger behaviour research led to this specific design choice? KC: At the beginning of the FareGo PG|50 development, the behaviour of passengers with ticketing gates was analysed and, among other sources, based on a university study. The interaction of passengers with the gate begins as they approach, looking specifically at the orientation of the gate they choose. Then, there are many crucial interactions up until they leave the gate. The analyses of these gate interactions led to the design elements of the FareGo PG|50 that facilitate intuitive use of the gate by the passenger, such as an angled smartcard target, front panel LEDs and a display head with TFT that display in the direction they’re walking. SSH: How do you anticipate the integration of multiple ticket formats (magnetic stripe, mobile barcode, contactless, ITSO) will impact passenger flow and reduce bottlenecks during peak travel times at Regent Centre? KC: For passenger flow at a gate, smartcardbased tickets are always the best choice. They keep the physical interaction of the passenger, ticket and gate to a minimum, thereby leading to the highest throughput. However, today there is always an existing system in place with its own wide variety of ticket media needs. Therefore, it was 45