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July, 2015

Xerox Unveils System for Secure, Ticketless Payment by Smartphone

 Two entwined challenges that today’s transportation operators face are (1) attracting more riders and (2) making secure ticketless payment a reality. At the 2015 UITP World Congress and Exhibition last month in Milan, Xerox demonstrated an easy-to-use solution, called Xerox Seamless, which is designed to provide a new, “disruptive” model for public transport mobile payments.

Based on patented Xerox technology, Xerox Seamless could be used for trains, buses, trams, park-and-ride facilities and carpooling, making it attractive to a broad range of travelers. Two key advantages:

The solution is universal. Designed independently of SIM cards and compatible with all mobile phone operators, it can be installed quickly and easily by both the transportation operators and the user, while offering the same security guarantees as conventional contactless ticketing.

The solution removes barriers to people using an unfamiliar transport system. Tourists, for example, could easily access services without having to know about local ticketing conventions.


How the system works


Operators would simply install near-field communication (NFC) tags provided by Xerox on their transport network. The tags are technically much simpler than most other ticketing validators. They use a patented method, developed by Xerox research and development teams based in Grenoble and Valence, France, to secure the encrypted transactions and transmit them even from places without network connectivity.


“Traditional validators require an Internet and power connection, often making it both complex and expensive for transportation operators to install,” said Jo van Onsem, Group President, International Public Sector, Xerox. “With the Xerox Seamless solution, the tags can be easily installed without either of these.”


The Xerox Seamless solution will come with a smartphone app that makes it easy for public transport customers to manage their travel. Travelers would simply download the app and register. Billing would be processed automatically, based on the trips completed on the various transport providers.


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