On the fast track

May 1, 2000 12:00 PM, ACCESS CONTROL & SECURITY SYSTEMS INTEGRATION STAFF

Automatic fare collection has emerged as an early mass adopter of contactless smart card technology, with more than 50 million contactless smart cards supplied to the automatic fare collection market today. Projected industry forecasts identify transportation as one of the fastest growing smart card applications, and rail and other transport operators are poised to offer this base of cardholders other new applications and services. Berlin's transit system is typical of state-of-the-art smart card applications.

Motorola's Worldwide Smartcard Solutions Division has won many transport industry automated fare collection (AFC) contracts worldwide in the last year - including Berlin's transit system - with its alliance partner the ERG Group.

Because they store value, smart cards eliminate the need for coins, paper money, tokens and tickets. They expedite passenger boarding and help eliminate human error associated with paper-ticket/collector systems. Combining smart card technology with the trend towards outsourcing systems, services and operations results in a higher standard of passenger convenience and operator efficiency.

Smart cards are credit-card-sized devices embedded with computer chips that can accept, store and send up to 100 times more information than magnetic-stripe cards. The memory feature, along with the capacity to run contactless applications, distinguishes the smart card from its magnetic-stripe counterpart.

To run contactless applications, a reader emits radio signals picked up by an ultra-thin antenna embedded in the card. When the smart card passes within a few inches of a reader, the radio signal activates the chip, sending data back to the reader. The readers are linked electronically to the station's computer mainframe.

The card can be read a few inches from the reader, which makes the smart card easier to use for passengers with disabilities. In most cases, riders do not even have to take the cards out of their pockets for fares to be deducted, which reduces lines and boarding time for all passengers.

The electronic smart card system incorrectly processes a commuter's ticket only once for every 100,000 uses. With electronic systems, complex hardware and software firewalls embedded into the card architecture decrease fraud by protecting data from unauthorized use or distribution. However, experts estimate that fraud eats up five to 15 percent of fare revenue in paper and magnetic-stripe systems.

Berlin transit system In Berlin, mass transit riders use the contactless smart card multi-operator tick.et, manufactured by Motorola. The Berlin transit system is comprised of two bus routes with 44 buses, two subway lines serving 33 stations, and one tram line with 14 trains and seven stations. Three transit operators share revenue and cooperate in the implementation, which has resulted in increased ridership, and lower trip costs.

With the new tick.et system, public transit riders throughout Berlin and Brandenburg pay time- and distance-based fares using one smart card to access and transfer between buses, trains and trams. The memory capacity of the chip allows for variable fares based on frequency of travel, length of trip, time of day used, and eligibility for senior, student or disability discounts.

The tick.et smart card can be reloaded with public transport units via ATM-style add-value machines. The correct fare is deducted when the card is waved in front of a special terminal at the station or on a tram or bus. A popular feature is the auto-reload mechanism that automatically downloads a pre-agreed amount from the cardholder's checking account onto the card when the balance falls below a designated level.

The groundwork exists for e-purse applications allowing riders to purchase a cup of coffee and a newspaper, board a bus, and transfer to a subway or taxi without searching for cash. These linked applications offer convenience to riders, incremental revenue for transit operators, and revitalization of the transit station as a business hub.

Multi-application system ahead Motorola is currently at work on a multi-application system for the Technical University of Berlin that is fully integrated with Berlin's existing smart card transit AFC system. It will provide students with a university identification card and application platform capable of securely accessing university services over the Internet. The system core is a new identification card that adds contacted/contactless smart card technology to the traditional plastic cards used for photos, registration numbers and other graphics. Students can use specially-equipped kiosks and smart card readers attached to their PCs to register for classes, access libraries and reserve tickets for university sporting events on-line. The project's second phase will see smart cards being used on-line for identification during exams and as an electronic payment method at university cafeterias and bookstores. The system is designed to support new directions such as tele-learning and virtual university teaching.

Supporters of smart card technology foresee a day when smart cards will be used in many of our daily tasks. As we go through a turnstile, the reader can scan the smart card through our clothing. At the office, we will wave a smart card at the door to get in - and again at the private elevator to the upper floors. We will slide the smart card through a reader to access crucial computer files.

The transportation industry's rapid deployment of contactless cards, coupled with its large urban rider base, gives the industry an inside track in the future evolution of smart cards in other industries. One important opportunity is to work with the new financial smart cards that are in various stages of conversion around the world. A technology issue that had to be tackled is to couple contactless transit technology favored by the transit industry with a contact chip favored by the financial industry.

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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

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