LONDON-Sema Group and the United Kingdom’s Association of Train Operating Companies have agreed on a new contract to replace and maintain ATOC’s paper reference books with Windows powered Pocket PCs.
Sema said it expects the Pocket PC devices will eventually contain all timetables and fares for the U.K. rail industry, information that was previously distributed in seven manuals of approximately 12,000 pages.
“With this innovative use of new technology, rail staff will no longer need to carry large, heavy manuals in order to give information to passengers,” said Bernard Dunn, chairman of the Rail Settlement Plan. “Furthermore, passengers would have on-train access to fare and timetable information that is both accurate and up-to-date.”
The Pocket PCs, which each weigh 225 grams, will be made available to all mobile staff, including train conductors. Sema noted the deal is one of the largest to date for Microsoft’s personal digital assistant.
“Sema Group’s proposal for ATOC is an example of how corporate customers are enabling business solutions on mobile devices to achieve greater efficiencies and improve customer service,” said Annemarie Duffy, wireless and mobility marketing manager for Microsoft U.K. “Pocket PCs’ tight integration with Microsoft Office and BackOffice family applications coupled with the versatility of the platform, make them ideal tools to extend Sema Group’s customized transportation application into the hands of customer-service personnel.”
