FARA ASA - no 1 in the Nordic countries

FARA is a leading supplier of intelligent transportation systems to the public transport sector. We deliver solutions and products providing real-time information to efficiently solve the different needs of the stakeholders in the sector.

Our offering includes fare collection, travel information, infotainment, fleet management and traffic management. Our intelligent and easy-to-use systems contribute to a more efficient transit service, increased quality and better safety.

FARA has assisted more than 100 public transport operators in Europe and Africa in offering their users the benefit of better travel experiences.

FARA – better managed mass transit

FARA with partners awarded contract in Helsinki

FARA ASA and its partners in the Tieto Consortium have been awarded a contract by the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) to supply a new integrated IT-solution

FARA ASA, the leading supplier of IT solutions to the public transport sector in the Nordic countries, together with lead partner Tieto Oy, has been invited to sign a contract for the delivery of a new integrated IT-system for managing the public transport in the greater Helsinki area.

“We consider this contract to be a very important step in the development of FARA and we look forward to working with HSL and Tieto to deliver this state of the art IT-system for managing public transport. This is the first contract FARA has won for supplying its solutions to a mid-sized (~1-1,5 million habitants) city and this proves the scalability of our solutions and the competence of our organization”, says Ørjan Kirkefjord, CEO of FARA ASA.

Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) is responsible for the planning and organization of public transport services in its member municipalities, as well as for the preparation of the Helsinki Region Transport System Plan.

Tieto Oy is the leading IT service company in Northern Europe providing IT and product engineering services. Their highly specialized IT solutions and services complemented by a strong technology platform provide local and global customers tangible business benefits.

Hungary chooses FARA

FARA ASA, the leading provider of IT solutions to the transport sector in the Nordic countries, has been chosen together with their partner, as supplier for a new real-time information and ticketing project for the operator Szabolcs Volán in the city Nyíregyháza, Hungary. FARA will provide its Finnish proprietary platform for 245 buses and ticket offices. FARA has previously delivered about 300 units into Hungary. "This agreement creates new opportunities in Hungary and the Eastern European market in general", says CEO Ørjan Kirkefjord.

The new shipments have a value of approx 625 000 EUR and deliveries will begin in September 2011. As previously, FARA will deliver it’s hardware with FARA's Finnish operating system. FARA’s partner will take care of the specific formal requirements in Hungary on their ticketing application. On the hardware side the contract involves the delivery of the FARA Vehicle PC, driver and ticket units, and a number of controller terminals. FARA has an advantage in Hungary since their solution, with the partner's application, has already been certified for use by the public authorities, a process that could otherwise take years.

“The solution is certified which obviously makes us more attractive in Hungary. The projects in Hungary will be a catalyst for the other markets in Eastern Europe where they will increase the reference base; this is an essential success factor. We provide a niche product where references are essential in order to win tenders” says Business Development Manager Egil W. Holgersen.

FARA ASA strengthens its presence in Poland

FARA ASA strengthens its presence in Poland and opens its own office and signs a new strategic alliance with Asseco S.A.

FARA ASA, the leading supplier of IT solutions to the public transport sector in the Nordic countries, has established a subsidiary in Poland. The wholly-owned company is called FARA Polska. FARA has so far cooperated with a Polish company in relation to sourcing of resources that have worked on developing FARA software products. These resources will now be employed by FARA Polska. FARA sees Poland as an attractive market for the years to come and will invest in expanding the sales and software development capabilities in this subsidiary.

FARA ASA and Asseco S.A. have entered into a strategic alliance to deliver integrated IT solutions to the public transport sector in Poland. Asseco Poland S.A. is the largest IT Company listed on Warsaw stock exchange. It is also a major player in the European software industry. The Asseco Group, with an income of EUR 430 million, delivers proprietary software and IT services and was ranked eight of the “TOP100 European Software Vendors” (published by Truffle Capital) in 2009.

Counties in Sweden chose FARA

FARA ASA, the leading supplier of IT solutions to the public transport sector in the Nordic countries, is selected by the counties of Västerbotten and Västernorrland, Sweden, which are existing customers of FARA, for the upgrade of their ticketing systems.

“It is a great acknowledgement for us to be accepted by professional customers, such as Västerbotten and Västernorrland which proves that FARA`s technology is generic and adaptable to local needs. This creates benefits both for the customers and for FARA as the number of customers on FARA`s latest ticketing and information solution continues to rise” says CEO Ørjan Kirkefjord.

The total order value of approx MSEK 37,5 excluding VAT, is for the upgrade of their existing ticketing solution. In addition the counties have options they can call upon. These are important projects for FARA as these are the fourth and fifth county in Sweden that will be running on FARA`s newest ticketing solution. This places FARA ASA as the leading supplier, serving the customers’ needs and expectations for tomorrow with ticketing and information systems for public transport.

“It is a great compliment that two more Swedish counties have selected FARA when investing in new ticketing and information solutions. We are pleased that they chose FARA as their partner in developing functionality and solutions going forward. In the north of Sweden FARA operates in four counties where the traffic in some areas goes across county borders. When all four counties are on the same platform they will have increased their possibilities regarding common services and interoperability to the benefit of their passengers.”, says Account Manager Sweden Tommy Berglund.

In addition FARA will increase its’ recurring revenue from service and maintenance after the solution has been implemented.

The solution will be in operation during the first quarter of 2012.