You may recall that when you signed up to receive ITSO Services Limited, you agreed to "create and maintain a list of lost, stolen or otherwise no longer needed concessionary travel passes" and to "provide this list to ITSO Services Ltd to an agreed timetable and format for the purposes of hot listing".
Hot listing requires a number of processes, the first stage of which is known as "Stop Listing". This document explains how stop listing will work and sets out the information that TCAs will need to send to ISL on a regular basis.
Why do we need to do this?
An England-wide stop listing approach is essential to help reduce fraudulent use of passes and so reduce the cost of concessionary travel. Before April, the only concessionary travel passes used on buses in a smart area were passes issued by that local authority or its partners. Since that local authority issued the passes, it had first hand knowledge of which passes were reported as being lost or stolen, etc. It could ensure that the readers on its buses 'invalidated' such passes if they were subsequently used.
Now, passes from all over England can be used on that authority's buses. As the authority has not issued passes from outside its area, it does not know which of these passes are being used fraudulently. Stop listing provides the mechanism for one authority to tell all the others which of its passes are no longer valid. Fraud prevention will therefore only work if all authorities contribute to the stop listing process.
What is Stop Listing?
A Stop List is simply a list of smartcards which, for whatever reason, are no longer valid and which should therefore be prevented from functioning. Stop listing means that a card is added to the stop list (which is kept as a database). If a "stop listed" card is then used, an electronic transaction is generated which, when checked against the database generates a hot list entry to be sent to"smart" readers (known as POSTs). When a card is then used subsequently the reader will invalidate the card, 'marking' it so that it cannot be used again.
This ensures that, in similar fashion to a credit or debit card,when the smartcard is cancelled (e.g. reported stolen or lost by the owner) there is a mechanism by which ITSO equipment can be made aware that the card should not be accepted.
What are the benefits to my scheme?
For a non-smart TCA with no card readers on buses there may seem to be very few benefits to you at present. However, as passes can now be used throughout England, it is important that all authorities play their part in helping to reduce fraudulent use. If one of your scheme's stop listed cards is used fraudulently in a smart area it can be detected and a fraudulent journey thereby prevented. The process that we put in place now will equally help you once you decide to go smart.
How does a TCA stop list?
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What data do I need to submit?
An easy to use template has been designed and asks for various details such as scheme name, CPICC, product OID and most importantly the card (ITSO Shell) number and check digit.
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Do I need to send any personal data about the concessionaire?
No.
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What format should I use?
The template is currently in an excel spreadsheet and is simple to complete.
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How frequently should I submit data?
Initially ISL would like the spreadsheet to be returned each week on Friday afternoon. The weekly return to ISL should include the new information which has not been notified to ISL since the previous return.
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Where can I find the stop listing template?
The template is available to download from the ISL website on the stop listing page.
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Who do I submit my data to?
Via email to stoplisting@itsoservices.org.uk If you have any problems completing the template please call the ISL helpdesk on 0121 634 2758 or alternatively e-mail.
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What will ISL do with the data?
Initially all stop list data received from TCAs will be placed on to a master stop list spreadsheet. Once the HOPS development is completed this data will be transferred into the ISL HOPS.
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Does ISL require the entire card number?
A card number is made up of the following sequence of numbers 633597 0100 7234814 3. The breakdown is as follows: 633597 is the IIN, or International Issuer Number; 0100 is the Shell OID number;7234814 (ISSN) is the ITSO Shell Serial number; the 3 is the check digit. The numbers that need to be included on the spreadsheet are the 7 digit ISSN and the check digit.
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What do I do with cards that are no longer required?
The TCA who has the physical card in their possession will either need to keep the card securely in a safe place or get the cards securely destroyed.
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If I destroy the cards do I need to send the card number to ISL in the stop list spreadsheet?
Yes, ISL would still like a list of cards which are no longer in use, however they won't be placed on the stop list. On the Stop List template you will be asked to choose a reason from a drop down menu as to why the card is on the stop list, only lost, stolen, duplicate and those cards no longer eligible for entitlement will be put on to the master stop list by ISL.
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If I want to remove a card from the stop list how do I do that?
If a TCA wants to take a card off the stop list as the card has been found and another has yet to be printed and sent out, the TCA will need to indicate this on their weekly return to ISL; there is a section for this.
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Can the stop list process be used to invalidate a person's concessionary travel entitlement, whilst allowing any other smart products on the card to remain valid?
If a TCA has introduced a multi-application card, i.e. a card that contains other non-transport products, the Stop listing and subsequent Hot listing of an ITSO Shell will not have the effect of stopping the card completely. In a multi-application environment the other application may well reside completely outside the ITSO environment and will not be accessible, so therefore will not be able to be stopped.
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I have sent ISL my stop list, do I need to keep a copy myself?
Yes, you will need to retain a record in your own CMS or database as those cards are no longer in use and have been stop listed.
If you have any queries, questions on any of the above, then please contact the ISL Helpdesk on 0121 634 2758 .