In order to provide more security for drivers and passengers, as well as fewer delays and shorter dwell times at bus stops, the Dutch government had passed a law that obligated all public transport companies in the Netherlands to make public transport in the country cash-free by the end of 2017. In the Netherlands cashless payment outstrips notes and coins, and cash is on the verge of extinction. Many European countries are following the same path. Dutch public transport companies needed a stable, reliable, and adjustable software solution that would make this migration to a cashless payment system as seamless as possible.
HTEC possesses extensive expertise in the area of transportation and logistics. Cooperating with Telexis, we have already developed solutions for Dutch public transport companies in the past. This time, the intention was to create systems for cashless ticket purchasing and several other operations. One of the requests was to make it as customizable as possible, keeping in mind the needs of other potential clients. Using systems we have created, passengers are now able to buy tickets cashlessly, accounting time is reduced, and maintenance costs are lower. In addition, paper and coin production costs will decrease in the long run.Solution 1
TSU (Telexis Sales Unit) is a device that enables users to buy one-time tickets or place other products on OV-chip cards that are a universal means of paying for public transport in the Netherlands. The unit is designed as a self-service box with a Windows 10 Panel PC which is not an industrial machine, but a purpose-made one. We needed to enable printing and third-party credit and debit card management. It has two basic functionalities and both of them have passed certification procedures:- Selection, purchasing, and issuing of one-time paper tickets.
- Delivering previously bought products for OV-chip cards.
- Core service — in charge of all business logic and libraries such as communication with Payplaza and the printer.
- UI app.
- AutoUpdater service — automatically downloads a new version of the software and installs it, has a rollback option, so it’s error-proof.
- Monitoring service — collects all data about the system and sends it to the external monitoring tool/dashboard.
Solution 2
Arriva OBSU (On-Board Sales Unit) is a system that allows credit card and debit card payments. A system that we have developed, it enables the coordination between two existing systems:- MBC (Master Board Computer), which acquires geographical data, and
- Quarto Kassa, which is in charge of payment and ticket printing.
Benefits
We created systems that have several advantages compared to other forms of ticket purchase:- End-clients are able to buy paper tickets in a quick, easy, and secure way. TSU also enables them to collect their already bought OV-chipkaart products.
- Systems are built to be self-service devices, they are robust and don’t require a lot of maintenance. Maintenance costs are thus low.
- This payment method is more secure because the ticket purchase is cashless, which decreased the potential for robberies or violent behavior toward bus drivers.
- It is easier to buy tickets directly in the vehicle than at stores or stations. This is achieved by the UI that is easy to use and navigate.
- Detailed and more efficient reporting is achieved, which in turn enables better insight into customer behavior and market demands.
