Special Report: Ultra-Wideband Holds Much Promise to Power Hands-Free Ticketing; but Backers Must First Overcome Significant Challenges
Pitched as a technology to enable completely hands-free mobile ticketing at busy gated metro stations, ultra-wideband is likely still years away from possibly making good on its promise of providing an alternative to contactless tap-in and tap-out and other fare-payment methods.
Ultra-wideband, or UWB, offers a faster and more accurate option as compared with such other location-based technologies used for mobile ticketing as Bluetooth or GPS–potentially enabling hands-free ticketing at fast-paced subway gates with throughput of 60 customers per minute or more.
Large Fare-Collection Company in Korea Seeks to Roll Out Hands-Free Ticketing at Busy Metro Stations
South Korean fare-collection and e-purse scheme Tmoney has implemented hands-free mobile ticketing on one gated light-rail line in Seoul. Can it win over other transit operators and, more importantly, riders who have been tapping its contactless cards for years?
All of that remains to be seen for Tmoney and its ambitious plan to deploy its be-in/be-out (BIBO)
Faster and More Accurate than Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, Can Ultra-Wideband Deliver on Promise of Hands-Free Ticketing?
Demand for hands-free (or nearly hands-free) ticketing has been growing, using such technologies as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS to enable customers to board buses and trains with only a swipe of their finger in a smartphone app to check-in and check-out. Sometimes they don’t even need to swipe.