However, the Minister said that smartcard technology was a "longer-term" matter. A spokesperson for the Department of Transport was unavailable to comment on when exactly, or indeed if, this technology would become a reality.
According to the government's New Connections report, which detailed the state's e-government projects and their due completion date, smartcard initiatives to enable integrated ticketing were to be introduced by the end of 2003.
Although it appears that a standard ticketing method will initially be used for this new system, the then Department of Public Enterprise said in 2001 that an integrated ticketing system using "contactless smartcard" technology should be introduced with the Rail Procurement Agency being the procurement body for this system.
Such technology allows payments to be made using mobile phones, smartcards and PDAs. Contactless payment-enabled devices have the ability to facilitate monetary transactions across short distances, usually up to eight inches, and are increasingly being used in transport systems around the world.
According to a recent Datamonitor report, public transport systems in Seoul, Hong Kong, Singapore and many Chinese cities have payment systems based on contactless cards. Many of these are multi-application smartcards, incorporating either e-purse or credit and debit card payment applications. While both the Paris Metro and London Transport are currently implementing their own contactless card payment systems.
However, the report did say that telecoms companies may not be prepared to invest in the infrastructure required to fully develop the technology. "Although contactless payment technology has proven itself very useful for public transport payments and access to buildings, the technology is still a gamble," wrote an analyst. "How many more expensive gambles can the telecoms afford to make?"
Quelle: electricnews
