Mobility is one of the key success factors for the growth of the economy and is therefore increasingly becoming an issue that governments and public transport companies need to address. Hence, Guayaquil aims to gradually become a smart city with the implementation of a solution that will allow the payment of electronic tickets.
The company that will serve as support for this electronic service will be O-Cityan automated fare collection platform that has been designed with both transport operators and travelers in mind, digitizing the end-to-end payment process.
The purpose is, according to the O-City website, so that people no longer wait in lines, no more tickets. “A mobile phone or a payment card are enough to move around the city. All friction is removed from the time spent traveling, to the complexity of fares.”
This service has been implemented in more than 130 smart cities around the world with more than 100 connected transport operators and more than 130 million monthly transactions. The experience of Azizbek Alymkulov, deputy mayor of the city of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, is highlighted on the O-City website: “The implementation of the electronic ticketing project allowed the city to increase the collection of fares on public transport routes , making these revenues transparent and improving the quality of services for passengers.”
Javier Ríos, director of Smart Cities at BPC, highlights: “The world’s large cities make great efforts to promote efficiencies and advance their digitization processes. However, in Latin America there is still a pending challenge to overcome, and that is that most public transport systems are based on closed-loop technologies. Guayaquil will become a global benchmark, since it will include an open payment method, under the multi-service EMV citizen card, which will improve efficiency and security, in addition to contributing to social distancing, reducing daily travel time, and promoting transportation infrastructure. mobility”.
“When a city transfers the benefits of technology and digitization to people, it positively impacts their lives. Public transport represents the heart of the economic and social activity of cities, so if its operation favors practicality, continuous movement and the safety of those who use it, the operation of the system becomes more productive”, says Juliana Peña, Vice President of Business for the Andean Region of BPC.
Diego Baeza, general manager of Consorcio STG, comments: “Technology generates a great impact on people and cities when the simplicity of everyday life is transformed into solutions that improve life. Transportation is a public service that has become the most powerful vehicle for financial inclusion and is an example of this magical transformation.”.
Javier Ríos adds that the contract award process was carried out through a public tender. “In this type of process, it is the contractor who carries out a meticulous study of the latest trends in integrated electronic collection systems for transport, and its feasibility, in this case, for the city of Guayaquil, leaving this work, reflected in the specifications of the bidding process. From our side, once the process started and after reading and analyzing the requested requirements, we composed all the pieces that make up the ecosystem of the required solution, thus giving a successful response and that led us to the award of the project”.
Will the cards have technology contactless (no contact)?
“They will be prepaid and franchised EMVs contactless, thus aligning with the most modern collection systems globally. To use them, the user will be able to recharge not only at the usual points of this type of solution (ticket offices and kiosks) but also on the infrastructure of the financial system such as ATMs, digital channels and non-banking correspondents. This type of technology provides the highest security standards, promotes financial inclusion and increases the well-being of the citizen”, explains Ríos.
Benefits
Collection system: The means of payment and access for public transport in Guayaquil will be through an EMV card (MasterCard, VISA), prepaid and multiservice, which can be recharged both in cash and through digital channels of the financial system. There will also be points enabled by the system such as vending machines and automatic recharge.
Safety: The prepaid EMV card will have PCI-DSS certifications for data security, as well as it will be able to automatically integrate with the financial system. By promoting a system without the use of cash, users and operators have greater protection and peace of mind about their finances.
Gradual implementation: Due to the fact that the current public transport of Guayaquil has a collection model based on closed-loop (closed system), this must be replaced by an open one and to make the transition transparent, the project will be implemented in different phases, the first of which will begin in December 2022. The agreement will be valid for 20 years.
Integration: The execution of the project will allow transport users in Guayaquil to have a single means of payment accepted in the different modes of transport in the city. It will be fully operational as of 2023, but it is already in the process of implementation.
Source: Eluniverso
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