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With its ComfoAccess® system, Trapeze has launched a trendsetting ticketing system based on be-in/be-out technology. The municipal public transport authority MZK Zielona Góra has tested the system, confirming after completion of the ComfoAccess® pilot project the advantages of the be-in/be-out presence detection system compared with the check-in/check-out system currently in use.

The ComfoAccess® pilot project in Zielona Góra, Poland was conducted in close collaboration between the City of Zielona Góra, the municipal transport authority MZK Zielona Góra and the ticketing solutions provider Trapeze together with their technical partner Albis Technologies. The passengers detected by the vehicle’s ComfoAccess®be-in/be-out system. Eliminates the need for the check-in/check-out user actions which are currently required in Zielona Góra in order to charge the passenger based on the distance travelled.

Customer test: passengers compare be-in/be-out (BIBO) with check-in/check-out (CICO)

MZK Zielona Góra had invited passengers to thoroughly test two different electronic ticketing systems. On all their trips they concurrentlyused the check-in/check-out proximity chip card currently valid in Zielona Góra and the be-in/be-out ComfoAccess® Card provided by Trapeze.

For passengers the basic difference between the two systems is how the card is used. With the check-in/check-out system they have to present the proximity chip card to a chip card terminal for validation when boarding a bus and they have to repeat the process when alighting from the bus after reaching their destination. Based on these user actions the system registers the location and time of the start and destination of their trip. But when using the ComfoAccess® all passengers have to do is to carry the ComfoAccess® Card with them during their trips. They do not have to proactively validate the ComfoAccess® Card by a chip card reader. The presence detection system installed in the vehicle automatically identifies the location and time of the start and end of the journey.

The pilot project included the supply and installation of the ComfoAccess® on-board system and the supply of ComfoAccess® Cards. Additionally passengers selected for the pilot project were given a Smartphone application with access to the ComfoAccess® customer information system. This application enables the passengers to check the route and the history of trips made. Journeys are graphically visualized on a map, and all this information is available even for the actual trip made.

Positive test results

In a detailed analysis performed at the end of the pilot project differences were discovered between the two ticketing systems compared. Regarding the recorded journeys, the biggest difference was due to the fact that the test persons failed in about 5 percent of the cases to present their proximity chip cards to the check-out terminal in order to correctly complete registration of their trip when leaving the bus. In such cases, the check-in/check-out system considers all stops up to the end of the route to have been passed, and they are charged accordingly.

The ComfoAccess® system precisely recorded the Smartcards present in the bus during trips made by friendly users and this both when travelling along the regular scheduled routes and when being on detour. In the analysis of the transaction data, the high detection accuracy of the system was once again confirmed to be at a level of 99.9%. This high detection accuracy has been one of the requirements for the ComfoAccess® certification issued by Swiss Federal Railways SBB as a result of the European tender “ETIK-BIBO”.

Summary

As a conclusion of the testing results, all involved parties rated the ComfoAccess® pilot project in Zielona Góra as a big success. Be-in/be-out has huge advantages compared to check-in/check-out in terms of correctly detecting the journeys made and in terms of convenience and reliability of the system. Trapeze and MZK Zielona Góra are planning a second phase of the pilot project for early next year, in which Smartphones with a ComfoAccess® CIBO App are used in order to evaluate the presence detection system enhancement for check-in/be-out.

About Trapeze

Trapeze is a global leader in providing public urban passenger transport solutions. Trapeze Switzerland GmbH in Neuhausen, Switzerland, is the European headquarters of Trapeze Group. The company offers public transport authorities comprehensive operations control and information systems for improving on-time services, reducing trip times and increasing the accuracy of transfers, as well as dynamic passenger information systems. Internationally present, Trapeze collaborates closely with its customers in developing, producing and integrating high-quality operations control systems, on-vehicle computers, passenger information displays at stops and inside vehicles, fare and ticketing solutions, and customised services.