Identity, Security, Payments, Biometrics, Smart Cards and Authentication News

Alternet expands its business into mass transit and prepaid fare-collection with Chinese technology partner

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Alternet Systems has entered into a partnership with Tianjin IC Card Public Network Systems Co LTD. (TCPS). TCPS is a provider of technology for urban mass-transportation in China. The company specializes in prepaid fare-collection systems, fleet management, security and monitoring of buses, asset management and the integration with fuel dispensing technology.

The TCPS technology helps citizens replace the use of cash to pay for urban public transportation, with cards based on contactless technology similar to the one used to open doors in buildings. These cards store prepaid value that can be used to pay the transportation fare in a city bus or taxi.


The same technology can be used by a utility company to enable it’s customers to prepay for utilities by enabling the metering system to read the stored value card.

The new company will be a combined entity, formed by both TCPS and Alternet Systems. Henryk Dabrowski, Chairman and President of Alternet, will hold a permanent position on the board of directors. It will provide a platform for the prepayment of urban mass transportation systems and public utilities.

Alternet will provide business development, management and technology consulting and the regional distribution network to collect the payments. TCPS will provide its technology, operational experience and financing resources. The new company will be based in Miami, Florida.

The markets served will include North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, with immediate opportunities in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Guatemala, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Panama. As of now, the target clients are governments, public utility companies and banks in those regions. [end] 

The Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council has published a white paper examining how the transit industry can best make use of NFC technology.

“One of the major challenges facing transit agencies today is how to capitalize on the ever-growing popularity of mobile phones with a solid mobile strategy,” said Transportation Council Chairman Craig Roberts. “This white paper builds on the knowledge base developed in earlier white papers to foster a greater understanding of NFC technology, explain its role in the transit industry, and shed light on key issues facing the transit industry in developing a mobile strategy.”

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The Open Standard for Public Transport (OSPT) Alliance, an international association chartered to define a new open standard for secure transit fare collection solutions, has announced the admission of Samsung Electronics as a full member.

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The Jacksonville Transit Authority (JTA) experienced an overwhelmingly large amount of people signing up for the region’s new STAR smart payment card system, according to a local news brief.

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India transport operator Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd. has launched a smart transit card for commuters traveling on the region’s bus system, according to ISO&Agent.

The agency began a six-month trial and August 2010 followed by a soft and silent launch in January 2012. The card is available now for a nonrefundable fee of 25 rupees ($.50 US cents) and allows commuters to travel for up to 100 minutes on one bus, for the minimum fare.

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The Peninsula Taxi Association (PTA) in South Africa has launched a electronic fare collection system, granting commuters cashless fare and discounts when using the newly developed contactless-enabled transit card, according to The Cape Times.

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The Chicago Transit Authority is moving ahead with an open-fare transit system after the Chicago Transit Board approved an agreement to implement the new system from Cubic Transportation Systems for $454 million.

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