Request ID: FOI-1983-2223 Date published: 06 December 2022
You asked
Dear Sir/Madam,
I have a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
A recruitment website has been built for TfL by an agency: https://project2030tfl.co.uk
It states: "London was first with Contactless and the Congestion Charge and is now looking to lead the way in introducing a new, more sophisticated type of road pricing. Join TfL now and make this happen. Help us build the next generation road use charging (RUC) platforms. All being built in the cloud.
These are just a couple of the hundreds of projects Technology and Data are leading on for TfL,"
Please supply me with the following information
1. The name of the project exploring the introduction of a new more sophisticated type of road pricing
2. Its terms of reference and scope (e.g. all motor vehicles)
3. Its date of commencement and anticipated finish date.
4. The names of any significant external companies subcontracting or partnering TfL (excluding individual freelancers working through personal service companies).
5. The names of any UK/other public administrations involved in the project (e.g. Dept Transport, EU bodies)
6. The sources of funding for the project and the number of Full Time Equivalents currently staffing the project.
7. What progress made in terms of significant milestones (e.g. prototypes built)
8 What road pricing technology options have been considered by the project so far
We answered
TfL Ref: 1983-2223 Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 11 November 2022 asking for information about Project 2030. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold the information you require. Your questions and our replies are as follows:
The name of the project exploring the introduction of a new more sophisticated type of road pricing
We are building a new core technology platform for road user charging to replace the currently outsourced system for which the contract expires in 2026. The project is named Detroit. The confirmed scope is to replicate the capability of the existing charging system that processes automatic number plate recognition events and according to a set of pre-defined business rules to support the Congestion Charge, HGV permit scheme linked to the Direct Vision Standard, Low Emission Zone, Ultra Low Emission Zone, and, in the future, the London wide ULEZ and user charges at the Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnels (collectively known as Road User Charging, RUC).The Detroit platform has the capability to be extended and we will be looking to build the system flexibly so that other forms of charging based on distance, vehicle type, etc., could be catered for if a decision was made in future to do so. TfL will own the IPR for the platform going forward.
Its terms of reference and scope (e.g. all motor vehicles)
The defined scope for Detroit is to replace current systems that support the Congestion Charge, HGV permit scheme linked to the Direct Vision Standard, Low Emission Zone, Ultra Low Emission Zone and, in the future, the London Wide ULEZ and user charges at the Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnels. .
Its date of commencement and anticipated finish date
Detroit started in September 2021 with capturing requirements and scope definition. We need the new system to go live before the current contract expires in 2026.
The names of any significant external companies subcontracting or partnering TfL (excluding individual freelancers working through personal service companies)
We are working through Crown Commercial Services (CCS) to acquire development services. We are using the following CCS frameworks: RM6106, RM6263, RM6193 and RM6195.At present there is a mixture of TfL employees and contract staff working on Detroit - contract staff are contracted through Reed. Due to the number of technical staff we need we are using other framework contracts. As of now we have awarded to NTT Data, LA International, Methods Business, Digital Technology Ltd and IDPP Consulting Limited.
The names of any UK/other public administrations involved in the project (e.g. Dept Transport, EU bodies)
None.
The sources of funding for the project and the number of Full Time Equivalents currently staffing the project.
All work on Detroit is funded from within TfL budgets. As of November 2022, the number of people working on Detroit is 97.
What progress made in terms of significant milestones (e.g. prototypes built)
Identification and simple rating based on Vehicle Registration Mark (VRM). Basic payments processing. Basic customer registration. Basic self-service web site. Creation of a gold set of traffic data for a day. The automated deployment and testing of all components. A prototype for a distance based journey estimation.
What road pricing technology options have been considered by the project so far
Detroit's scope is the core RUC engine for end-to-end processing and management of RUC events based on VRM data and images.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me. Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed. Yours sincerely Sara Thomas FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
