Contactless Smart Cards, RFID, Payment, Transit and Security

Thousands of Oyster cards rendered inoperable

Monday, July 21, 2008

Two weekends ago, 40,000 to 60,000 Oyster card users had their cards corrupted when they tried to use them. The problem was corrected in about four hours and Transport for London had to reissue new cards the following Monday to affected users.

ZD Net UK web site reported 60,000 users had their cards disabled, while AccountancyAge said 40,000 cards stopped working. ZDNet’s reports that Transport for London has launched an investigation to try to find out what happened.

“We’re currently investigating the cause of the incident with Transys (Oyster’s supplier),” a TfL spokesperson told ZDNet.co.uk. “It’s an ongoing investigation.” [end] 

The Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council has published a white paper examining how the transit industry can best make use of NFC technology.

“One of the major challenges facing transit agencies today is how to capitalize on the ever-growing popularity of mobile phones with a solid mobile strategy,” said Transportation Council Chairman Craig Roberts. “This white paper builds on the knowledge base developed in earlier white papers to foster a greater understanding of NFC technology, explain its role in the transit industry, and shed light on key issues facing the transit industry in developing a mobile strategy.”

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Cubic Transportation Systems, distributor of the electronic transit Clipper card, has responded to the recent news of a Ph.D. student in IT Security allegedly breaking the encryption in Clipper and similar transit cards.

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UK train operator, First Capital Connect’s proposal to extend the Oyster Travelcard and Pay As You Go schemes to St. Albans has been shot down by the government’s Department for Transport.

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India transport operator Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd. has launched a smart transit card for commuters traveling on the region’s bus system, according to ISO&Agent.

The agency began a six-month trial and August 2010 followed by a soft and silent launch in January 2012. The card is available now for a nonrefundable fee of 25 rupees ($.50 US cents) and allows commuters to travel for up to 100 minutes on one bus, for the minimum fare.

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After nearly ten years and over €55 million, Dublin’s “Leap” transit card has finally hit the market, reports Herald.ie.

The contactless smart card is now available for use on Dublin Buss, Luas, Dart and commuter rail lines around the capital. Rather than having to buy separate tickets or pay with cash, Dublin commuters now can just tap their Leap card against a reader aboard the transport of their choosing.

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West Midlands is getting set to introduce an Oyster-style bus ticketing system that would enable passengers to easily transfer between services run by different bus operators.

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