Aim of the project
In order to introduce preferential public transport fares for students, Jelgava City Council decided to develop a new cash-free payment system for city buses. The Council announced the implementation of a new electronic identification document for students, which will also serve as a transport payment card.
SEB bank was chosen as the main contractor to deliver the complete solution for Jelgava’s student card issue and acceptance systems. Having proven itself as a reliable partner and high-class specialist team, X Infotech was selected by the bank as partners to deliver and implement a secure and reliable contactless card solution. The overall system omprised card personalization, application development and contactless payment infrastructure implementation in public transport and contactless cards acceptance.
About the project
For the first part of the project, X Infotech delivered and configured printers for student electronic card printing and personalization, as well as developing personalization scripts. This solution allows the issuing of personalized cards with securely protected information about students and accumulated travels.
The next part of the project comprised development of contactless infrastructure in public transport for student ID card acceptance, for which X Infotech delivered payment terminals and integrated them with software for student card acceptance.
The third part of the project included additional card applications development, which increased the functionality of student ID cards. X Infotech developed three applications for Jelgava’s student card: off-line application for payments in public transport, on-line for payments in school canteens, and an access application for monitoring school attendance.
About the card
Jelgava scholar card is the first payment card in the Baltic States ensuring payments through contactless POS terminals. Unlike the classic debit card, PIN code input is not required. Thanks to additional applications, the payment card also operates as a scholar ID card, a transport card, a payment card in school canteens and, in the future, as an access control card.
Parents of students can transfer funds onto the card either at bank branches or via on-line banking, to top-up the value of the cards and allow their children to use the card for payments. Since the card is used by students, it is equipped with safety parameters covering daily limits. Using information about accumulated travels stored in the chip, Jelgava City Council covers a part of transport expenses thereby offering benefits for student ID card holders.
Result
Every student enrolled as a resident of Jelgava can pay for public transport with their ID card and receive preferential fares from Jelgava City Council. The student ID card is also accepted as a method of payment in school canteens and as an access control card that registers students` school attendance. The card fully complies with the requirements of Jelgava City Council, to combine the combination of payment, transport and ID/access control applications on one platform.
The project has already resulted in the provision of 5 000 cards for school students and it is planned to issue citizen ID cards in Jelgava and others Latvian cities.
Ronalds Platkajis, Head of Card Department of SEB bank says: “We are very pleased to announce the launch of the first NFC payment card project in Latvia and the Baltic States. Now more than 5000 students are able to use contactless cards. We are ready to provide this contactless payment technology solution for other cities’ students , as well as to work hard in delivering these technologies to the wider public.”
Vadims Teresko, X Infotech board member adds: “Thanks toimplementing this contactless card solution, our youth can enjoy all the benefits of new NFC technologies by receiving secure, fast services in their everyday lives. We will work together with SEB bank in future projects to make everyday services more accessible and comfortable for every citizen.”
About SEB bank
SEB bank is the one of the largest banks in Latvia, delivering a wide range of financial services and financial consulting. SEB bank is the subsidiary of SEB group that is considered as a leading financial services provider in Northern Europe, operatingin 20 countries and employing 17 000 people. More information can be found at the web page: www.seb.lv
About X Infotech
X Infotech, a leading systems integrator and a developer of software suite MultiPerso, delivers premium solutions for issuing, managing and verification of electronic ID documents and smart cards. The company`s turnkey solutions are fully independent and flexible, and in combination with unrivalled team expertise, allow smart card and eID programs to be implemented easily, adapting to any environment by supporting any equipment and chip type. With successfully implemented projects in 45 countries already, X Infotech is now a trusted business partner and preferred solutions and services provider for hundreds of customers. More: www.x-infotech.com