MiTAC : Open Payment System for Rail Ticketing

COMPANY NAME

MiTAC Information Technology Corp.

BUYER INTRODUCTION

COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS

APPLICATION INTRODUCTION

ABROAD FIELD TRIAL

(Description of scale and benefits in the overseas domain in 500 words may be supplemented with pictures.)
Successful cases of MiTAC Open Payment System for Rail Ticketing in Taiwan include Taipei MRT and High Speed Rail. In recent years, we also expanded our sales to Fuzhou Metro in China and Airport Express in Hong Kong.

Ⅰ. Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) System, Fuzhou Metro Line 1, Fujian, China:
Fuzhou Metro Line 1 is the first line in Fuzhou City's rail network and the first subway line constructed and operating in Fujian Province. Extending about 30km, this line comprises 2 sections, the South and the North. The South Section comprising 9 stations from Sanchajie Station to Fuzhou South Railway Station in a total length of 9.76km started operation on May 18th 2016; The North Section comprising 12 stations from Xiangfeng Station to Shangteng Station in a total length of 15.13km is scheduled to trial run in January 2017.

In addition to the integral installation of Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) System in Fuzhou Metro Line 1, MiTAC also integrated Rongcheng Universal Card with the Metro one-way ticket and coupon ticket; now passengers may use a public transportation card, the Rongcheng Universal Card, to ride Fuzhou Metro. In the past, it took at least 30 minutes to reach Fuzhou South Railway Station from Sanchachie Station by way of other transportation vehicles, now it is only 18 minutes. The brand new Metro and Smart Card services are safe, quick, precise, highly efficient, economic, time saving and free of traffic jam; passenger satisfaction is overwhelming.

Ⅱ. Hong Kong Airport Express QR-Code Ticketing System:
Hong Kong Airport Express is the most prompt transport that links Hong Kong International Airport with the commercial center of Hong Kong, also one of top-quality airport rail systems in the world. The HK Airport Express extends 35.3km in total with a 10-minute headway; it takes passengers only 24 minutes to reach Hong Kong Station in Central from the airport. Traffic or HK Airport Express in December 2015 alone has exceeded 1.45 million passengers. This Hong Kong Airport Express QR-Code Ticketing System developed by MiTAC has integrated Hong Kong Octopus Card and on-line purchase of One-way QR Code tickets; passengers can now book a ticket, pay for it, and get a QR Code Ticket just by operating a cell phone at once; it is quick and convenient.

CHALLENGE

Ⅰ. Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) System, Fuzhou Metro Line 1, Fujian, China:：

1. Successful experiences in Taiwan cannot necessarily be replicated in China: Since Fuzhou Metro was built much later than Taiwan, it poses even more requirements in technical levels and the public is less experienced in taking a subway than people in Taiwan, therefore endless discussions with the client are required for thoroughly understanding their requirements and accomplishing system installation in a limited time.

2. Integration of Rongcheng Universal Card: All the business rules, card format, security encryption, Roll-Back mechanism, and transaction interface must be integrated within a very short period. Based on past experiences, MiTAC clarified problems and overcame difficulties one by one, with the mission accomplished smoothly.

3. Lack of passenger training: For an initiation of subway infrastructure, most passengers are first-timers in taking the subway transportation. The majority is not familiar with Token Usage and the gate passage procedure, therefore requiring extra arrangement of leading personnel. Misuse of gate by passengers caused substantial disturbances; MiTAC therefore dispatched experienced field engineers to assist the revenue staff and to resolve problems in real time.

Ⅱ. Hong Kong Airport Express QR-Code Ticketing System:

1. High-efficiency requirements for real-time link and validation: The difficulty in the QR-Code ticket system lies on the real-time link and effective validation. When the QR-Code touches the gate, instant verification is required to determine whether the QR-Code is a fake or a used one; in addition to continuous links between the gate and the background computer, the on-line logic-validation of the ticket and verification of the database update are therefore required to be highly efficient in order to maintain a smooth traffic flow. Since the QR-Code Ticket System is a later added item, it therefore requires linking-up with existing ticket inspection gates and the control system, for successfully opening the gate after an effective validation, as well as for registering the transaction into the existing system, which also increased difficulty of the implementation. MiTAC contributed many efforts in communicating with the MTR Team for adjusting the design to meet their requirements.

2.QR-Code Reader Design Details: MTR has sophisticated requirements against the extra installation of QR-Code Reader on the gate; it must be of large dimensions, high brightness, and convenient operation by the passengers. MiTAC Team therefore re-designed sensor module to comply with MTR requirements.

3. Differences in station entrance/exit procedures: Different from general tickets where a fare is deducted based on entering and exiting stations, passengers who use the Downtown Check-in service may pass through gates more than once; the process and fare deduction method are more complicated. It requires a thorough understanding of procedure coordination requirements when carrying out System Design.

ILLUSTRATION PICTURE

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