Advisory Actions
The following Advisory Actions are proposed to reflect key themes across data and standards, ticketing systems, accessibility, governance, and procurement outlined within this Report.
Establish a National Standards Governance Function
Action 1.1: Formally designate or establish a national standards oversight body (interim or permanent) responsible for defining, maintaining, and enforcing technical and customer-facing standards across all modes and schemes.
Action 1.2: Mandate that all procurement of ticketing infrastructure by operators and public bodies must undergo a compliance review with nationally agreed defined standards.
Implement a Single Source of Truth (SST) Dataset
Action 2.1: Define and implement a phased development roadmap for the SST national multi-modal transport dataset, aligned with open data principles and national licensing structures.
Action 2.2: Integrate SST dataset development with Transport Scotland's data strategies and Traveline Scotland platforms, including real-time information, entitlement validation, journey planning, and detailed fares/product information.
Action 2.3: Publish and maintain SST data standards and schemas for use by third-party developers and product retailers.
Advance Account-Based Ticketing (ABT) Infrastructure
Action 3.1: Finalise the core functional and technical specification for a nationwide multi-operator, multi-modal ABT platform supporting multiple token types and discount entitlements.
Action 3.2: Conduct a national procurement process for the ABT platform, ensuring interoperability with cEMV, barcode, and smartcard standards. Identify if existing or planned platforms can meet such requirements in full or part.
Action 3.3: Engage with schemes supporting cEMV to initiate pilot interoperable trials and prepare for long-term integration via Tap Aggregator frameworks.
Support Inclusive and Accessible Retail Channels
Action 4.1: Publish Accessibility & Inclusion (A&I) best practice guidelines for digital and physical retail environments, with defined minimum acceptable levels aligning with the Digital Scotland Service Standard (DSSS).
Action 4.2: Enforce minimum acceptable levels for A&I standards across all token types and ticketing platforms, including accessibility for non-banked customers.
Action 4.3: Promote and fund development of consolidated applications capable of retailing multi-modal and multi-operator tickets with entitlement support.
Enable Efficient and Coordinated Procurement
Action 5.1: Develop and disseminate guidance for shared procurement frameworks across RTPs, local authorities, and national operators, promoting economies of scale.
Action 5.2: Encourage replacement of outdated ticketing and validation equipment using a prioritised, token-agnostic upgrade path aligned with SST and ABT compatibility.
Streamline Governance and Integration Models
Action 6.1: Conduct a review to identify viable governance models for a shared ABT platform, including representation from RTPs, operators, and the Scottish Government.
Action 6.2: Establish formal governance mechanisms to oversee national ticketing development, integration of entitlement systems, customer support and data custodianship.
Action 6.3: Review national transport strategies to embed smart ticketing governance within broader public transport delivery and performance monitoring.
These Advisory Actions consolidate over 150 project-level recommendations from the STAR document into a streamlined, actionable framework suitable for ministerial oversight and cross-sector implementation. They are intended to be reviewed and updated annually in line with delivery progress and evolving standards.