A limited numbers of Bangkok commuters this spring will begin testing the use of a single, contactless smart card to access the city’s two train networks, an official at the Bangkok Mass Transit System Co. Ltd. tells PaymentsSource.
The Thailand city’s two networks include the Bangkok Metro Co. Ltd., which operates Bangkok’s underground Mass Rapid Transit metro system, and the Bangkok Mass Transit System, which operates the elevated rapid-transit BTS Skytrain. In 2009, the networks formed a joint venture, Bangkok Smartcard System Co. Ltd., to serve as the clearinghouse for ticket transactions.
In August, Bangkok Smartcard appointed Perth-based Vix Erg Pty. Ltd. as a partner in the design and delivery of a smart card clearinghouse service for micropayments (see story). http://www.paymentssource.com/news/australian-vendor-gets-thai-smart-card-contract-3002894-1.html Under the partnership, Vix Erg was directed to set up a clearinghouse based on its MASS system, which 11 cities in five countries also are using.
The system is ready for testing in Bangkok. “In April, we will trial the common ticket on a group of 10,000 passengers on the two networks,” the Bangkok Mass Transit System official says. Once the trial is over in June, the goal is to introduce a fully integrated fare system for both networks, eliminating the need for riders to pay minimum charges on interchanging stations on the networks.
Once the integrated fare system is in place, passengers will need to pay only once when going from a station on the Skytrain network to a station on the Metro network, and vice versa, instead of paying separate and higher fares.
Eventually, consumers may use the same card to access public buses and boats, expressway tolls and car-parking systems, the official says. “Then we will move on to convenience stores like 7-Eleven, shops at stations and restaurants, talks for which have already begun,” he adds.
Passengers will be able to buy cards and reload accounts at any station operated by the two networks. They also will be able to reload card accounts through online-banking and ATM services offered by Bangkok Bank Ltd., the project’s banking partner.
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