The size of the Pie in Public Transport. It is true that is a...

The size of the Pie in Public Transport.



It is true that is a perennial loser for Govs (not true in HK and Singapore)

The main reason for that is inadequate ability to collect fares from riders. This leads to losses and losses lead to lack of investment and lack of invest leads to...etc



So who knows how big the pie is.......................... In HK and Singapore they know and have plans to grow it further...(Anthony Morris from Octopus cards)



I supect the pie is alot bigger than we think.



Then all these players invading the Fare Collection space....



Credit Cards......................

Add-ons to Mobile Phones.........................

If the Pie is small, the argument goes, there will be nothing left for ERG and AFC companies like ERG....



Gloom and more Gloom for ERGIANS?



No. I don't think so.



In the midst of all the news about the UTAH win was a little paragraph............................



"The UTA has developed an interface between the ERG readers and mobile data computer (MDC) already in use on UTA buses. In that way, the MDC can display details about a presented card or pass, such as whether it is valid. ERG readers can then retrieve identification information from the pass or credit card and store that data until the evening, at which time UTA employees can download it through a secure, encrypted wireless LAN connection to the ERG System 5000 software. Contactless credit card transactions can then be forwarded through the UTA's PepperCoin software system to the merchant-services bank for processing. "



Increasingly around the world ERG is been seen as the SYSTEM INTEGRATOR.

At the end of the day that is where the value-adding is going to be.

Whether they be a Credit Card, a mobile phone add-on or any type of Scard in operation on UTA busses the details of UTA fares will be imbedded and transmitted to ERG readers via the MDC and stored for a business day. All this is done using RFID under ISO 14443

A wireless LAN computer system transmits this data to.........................



ERG SYSTEM 5000 software...................(MASS?)

where all the ...



(1) Reconciliation is done

(2) RIdership counted

(3) Contactless credit card transactions can then be forwarded through the UTA's PepperCoin software system to the merchant-services bank for processing.