Easycard
The Easycard ( Chinese : 悠遊 卡, Pinyin : Yōuyóukǎ) is the first contactless, rechargeable chip card in Taiwan , which has been used for mass transportation since 2000. The term “Easycard” means something like “comfortable card” in German, which is very similar to the Singaporean EZ-link card .
The Easycard replaces the older magnetic ticket that was in use until then. The card is anonymous, ie no ID is required when purchasing. The personalized card is an exception. However, all Easycard cards have an individual serial number for identification, which enables the route traveled to be tracked and also to be used as an access card.
The Easycard can currently be used at all stops of the Taipei Metro , the parking lots connected to it, several thousand buses of the 14 bus operators and 31 parking lots operated by the city administration . In addition, you can now download the map and increasingly in continuously open every day ( 24/7 ) convenience stores such as from 7-Eleven to use to pay and also with credit recharge.
editor
Taipei Smart Card Corporation (TSCC) was founded in March 2000. It consists of the following members: Taipei City Government, Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation, 13 private bus operators, TAIPEIBANK, Mitac Inc., Taishin International Bank, United World Chinese Commercial Bank, Seaward Leasing Co., Chinatrust Commercial Bank, Mercuries Data System Ltd., China Engineering Consultants, Inc. and Solomon Smartnet Corp. Their goal is to advance the contactless payment system so that one day there will be an area of application that will not only be limited to public transport, but will also be used as a universal cashless payment method. One example of this is the Octopus card in Hong Kong , which can be used to pay for purchases and is also used as a secure access control.
use
It is sufficient to bring the card within a few centimeters of the reader. The debiting works even with common materials, such as leather or cotton, so that most users slide their wallets, handbags, rucksacks or jackets over the card reader . The debiting of the credit takes 0.3 seconds. If there are several cards e.g. B. is in your wallet, the card reader does not work reliably because the cards interfere with each other. As a remedy, the card must be held separately over the card reader.
The card can be reloaded at the stops and in underground stations using special machines and the last debit can be tracked. The purchase is made at the customer counters, whereby a deposit is retained for the card, which will be refunded on return. The deposit is NT $ 100, and purchases can be made in most stores such as 7-Eleven , Hi-Life and other convenience stores in addition to the customer counters in the MRT (Taipei) .
advantages
It is no longer necessary to have enough change on hand or to constantly buy tickets. In addition, the rate of passage of passengers through the turnstiles is accelerated and the bus stops at bus stops. An Easycard can be used in various means of transport and in future also for payment in shops. By using the cards for several years, waste is avoided.
For city planners, the introduction of the Easycard means an increase in the attractiveness of public transport, and by switching from cars to public transport , traffic jams on the streets are reduced. The usage data can be used to create a transparent overview that can better convey a fare increase to the population. In addition, concerns about the restriction of privacy , as they regularly arise when using RFID technologies in Europe, did not play a major role.
The transport operators benefit from more reliable operating data, such as turnover and transport volume, which leads to cost savings. A higher throughput rate of passengers due to the shorter duration of the access control results in more efficient utilization and a higher train cycle. The automated, cashless ticket system saves costs when checking the cash register and transporting money.
technology
The Easycard has the dimensions of a normal credit card . The RFID chip and the antenna are located inside the card. The data connection is made using radio waves at a distance of up to 10 cm. There is no battery in the card, the energy for operating the RFID chip is transmitted by the card reader via electromagnetic waves. The Mifare Classic system used is now cryptographically broken. In addition, with the Easycard, the amount of money is only saved on the card itself and can be changed as required. The German hacker Harald Welte showed this in his lecture at the 27th Chaos Communications Congress of the CCC.
The same technique is used for the following cards:
- Hong Kong: Octopus card since 1997
- Singapore : EZ-link card since 2002
- Greater Tokyo : Super Urban Intelligent Card (Suica) since 2001
- Atlanta : Breeze Card since 2006
- London : Oyster Card since 2003
- Netherlands : OV-chipkaart since 2005
