18 July 2018

Experts say that for TfL to build a truly digital transport service, it must enable staff to work on devices they are familiar with.

Transport for London (TfL) has increased the number of users on its bring your own device scheme by 170 per cent in a single year, according to new research from the Parliament Street think tank.

Following a Freedom of Information request, TfL disclosed 816 devices registered under its BYOD scheme in the 2016 financial year which grew to 2,328 for the 2017 financial year.

When mapped against publicly available staff records of 28,000 employees, Parliament Street says the data suggests the organisation has nearly trebled the number of people who are permitted to work using their personal mobile device or laptop.

TfL said 1,326 devices had so far been registered under its BYOD scheme for the current financial year, surpassing the total throughout 2016.

Researchers also asked for a breakdown of devices currently registered. The iPhone topped the list with 606 staff members registering the handset, followed by 469 Samsung devices and 43 iPads. On the lower end of the scale there were 19 Google Pixels, 19 Huawei phones, 15 Sony Xperias, and only six HTCs.

A TfL spokesperson also provided the following comment: “We take personal security management extremely seriously and each device has a unique password. We regularly analyse our authorised user database and our information security policies are refreshed to address the changing cyber threat landscape.”

Parliament Street published its findings in a report entitled Smart Transport: BYOD and Beyond. Among its key recommendations is for TfL to increase its BYOD usage to at least 15 per cent of the workforce in the next financial year, and encouraging it to share analytics and performance data across the network.

Adam Perry, director at connected transport provider Resonate, says: “Building a truly digital transport service means enabling staff to work on devices they are familiar with, which will inevitably improve productivity.”

Perry adds that increasing mobility is only the first step in enhancing the transport network. He believes it is also vital to share critical data such as insights into arrivals, departures and timetables. “This will enable every team member to make informed decisions based on accurate information and improve customer experiences for the long term.”