Modern technology improves Public Transit in Prague

Public transportation sure is complicated. Moving thousands of people around a city or a country requires a lot of coordination and communication. If the process of getting people where they want to go can be simplified by modern technology, it is a huge benefit to everyone. If the technology is limited and old fashioned it could get really frustrating, not only for the travelers, but also for the field personnel of the public transportation companies.

The Prague Public Transit Company (PPTC) of Czech Republic has implemented the M3 eTicket handheld solution to improve their transportation systems. Thanks to the city's innovative Opencard system and the capabilities of rugged handheld computers, Prague now offers one more way to make navigating the urban core easier.

Opencards open up possibilities

The City of Prague offers its residents and visitors an innovative smart card program called Opencard that provides new ways for the city and its citizens to communicate, as well as less complicated and more convenient access to city services. Prague's City Hall issues "intelligent" contactless smart cards that serve a variety of functions. An Opencard can be used to pay for parking, as a library card and for access to selected city institutions and services.

The challenges of limited communication

The PPTC, which includes nearly 2,000 trains, trams and buses, saw the Opencard system as an opportunity to improve their operations. PPTC's fare inspectors and other on-board personnel were suffering from some serious technology limitations in performing their jobs. A major problem was that field personnel had limited communication with central offices, relying on end-of-day paperwork reports to record their work and get updated information.

Looking for an efficient way to connect to the Opencard system, PPTC began exploring mobile handheld computers for their field personnel. After researching different options, they settled on the M3 eTicket solution from Handheld, citing its ruggedness, safety, light weight, ergonomic design and compatibility with current and future software programs.

Real-time information benefits everyone

The improvements to PPTC's day-to-day operations are considerable - for passengers as well as workers. Residents and tourists can purchase an Opencard as an electronic travel voucher in all zones of the Prague Integrated Transport (PIT) system, which includes outlying areas around Prague. This eliminates paper vouchers and makes the fare inspection process faster and more reliable.

For workers, the advantages are even more significant. Inspectors use GPRS to upload data such as logs of revoked Opencards, and data from their inspections is sent automatically back to PPTC's central offices. By synchronizing this data in the field, the inspectors don't have to go back to the central office each day to file paperwork – which saves both time and paper.

About the M3 eTicket solution

M3 eTicket is a mobile computer that includes integrated applications such as a barcode reader, WLAN, Bluetooth, camera, smart card reader and GSM/GPRS. With its durable design, the product can withstand falls from 1.5 meters and is exceptionally flexible and light. It can handle external temperatures ranging from -20 °C up to +50 °C and its IP64 rating means the M3 eTicket withstands dust and water.

For more information about the M3 e-Ticket, visit our product facts or go to www.ruggedm3.com

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