Digital Signal Processing Reference
In-Depth Information
while passengers board, plus the additional security risk presented by the continuous
distraction of the driver.
•
Paper tickets are thrown away after use, although the manufacture of fraud-proof
tickets for transport companies is becoming more and more expensive.
•
In German cities in particular, losses of up to 25% must be taken into account due
to fare-dodgers (Czako, 1997). This is because German transport companies have
very liberal travelling conditions and permit entry to the underground system and
buses without travel passes first being checked.
•
Association discounts can only be calculated on the basis of costly random counts,
which leads to imprecision in the calculation.
13.2.2 Requirements
Electronic fare management systems have to fulfil very high expectations and require-
ments, particularly with regard to resistance to degradation and wear, write and read
speed and ease of use. These expectations can only be satisfactorily fulfilled by RFID
systems. The most common format for contactless smart cards is the ID-1 format and,
recently, wrist watches.
13.2.2.1 Transaction time
The time taken for the purchase or verification of a travel pass is particularly critical
in transport systems in which the pass can only be checked inside the vehicle. This
is a particular problem in buses and trams. In the underground railway, passes can be
checked at a turnstile, or by conductors. A comparison of different methods shows the
clear superiority of RFID systems in terms of transaction times (Table 13.1).
13.2.2.2 Resistance todegradation, lifetime, convenience
Contactless smart cards are designed for a lifetime of 10 years. Rain, cold, dirt and
dust are a problem for neither the smart card nor the reader.
Table 13.1
Passenger processing times for different tech-
nologies. Source: transport companies in Helsinki, taken from
Czako (1997)
Technology
Passenger processing time
(s)
RFID I (remote coupling)
1.7
Visual verification by driver
2.0
RFID II (close coupling)
2.5
Smart card with contacts
3.5
Cash
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