GB2142178A - Passenger transport revenue control - Google Patents

Passenger transport revenue control Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2142178A
GB2142178A GB08317148A GB8317148A GB2142178A GB 2142178 A GB2142178 A GB 2142178A GB 08317148 A GB08317148 A GB 08317148A GB 8317148 A GB8317148 A GB 8317148A GB 2142178 A GB2142178 A GB 2142178A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
entitlement
travel
journey
automatic apparatus
encoded
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB08317148A
Other versions
GB2142178B (en
GB8317148D0 (en
Inventor
James Edward Doyle
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of GB8317148D0 publication Critical patent/GB8317148D0/en
Publication of GB2142178A publication Critical patent/GB2142178A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2142178B publication Critical patent/GB2142178B/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07C—TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
    • G07C1/00—Registering, indicating or recording the time of events or elapsed time, e.g. time-recorders for work people
    • G07C1/02—Registering, indicating or recording the time of events or elapsed time, e.g. time-recorders for work people not involving the registering, indicating or recording of other data
    • G07C1/04—Registering, indicating or recording the time of events or elapsed time, e.g. time-recorders for work people not involving the registering, indicating or recording of other data wherein the time is indicated in figures
    • G07C1/06—Registering, indicating or recording the time of events or elapsed time, e.g. time-recorders for work people not involving the registering, indicating or recording of other data wherein the time is indicated in figures with apparatus adapted for use with individual cards
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
    • G07B13/00—Taximeters
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07B—TICKET-ISSUING APPARATUS; FARE-REGISTERING APPARATUS; FRANKING APPARATUS
    • G07B15/00—Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points
    • G07B15/02—Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems

Abstract

A method for levying charges for passenger transport which involves automatic decrementing of a purchased travel entitlement, which is encoded on an object such as a magnetically-readable card, in accordance with journey times rather than distances. When the traveller presents the object to the appropriate automatic apparatus at the start and finish of a journey, the encoded travel entitlement is reduced according to a predetermined function of the times of presentation. The object, which may be inspected in the course of a journey with the aid of portable apparatus, is not validated for travel unless the initial presentation has taken place, and the encoded entitlement continues to expire should the traveller fail to present the object at the end of the journey.

Description

SPECIFICATION Passenger transport revenue control This invention relates to automated means for the levying of charges for passenger transport, and more particularly to such means involving automatic apparatus which is capable both of interpreting and of modifying information encoded on an object carried by the passenger. Passengers are commonly charged for their use of transport facilities by means which are intended to ensure that charges are in some way related to the amount of use made.
Previous attempts to improve the efficiency of revenue collection, traditionally based on the issue and checking of tickets related to distance to be travelled, whether directly or in fare stages or more recently in travel zones, by the introduction of automatic equipment for handling and checking such tickets, are seen variously to be wanting.
Deficiencies are apparent not only in the efficiency but also in the security, reliability, fairness and convenience of such attempts and in their appeal to the consumer and it is an object of this invention to overcome or reduce such drawbacks.
In accordance with the invention automatic apparatus encodes the time of commencement of travel upon a suitable object presented to the apparatus by the passenger provided that the object conveys to the apparatus an acceptable indication of entitlement to travel. When the traveller subsequently presents the same object to automatic apparatus at the end of the journey, the apparatus reads the time encoded on the object, deletes or cancels that time encoding, notes the current time and reduces the encoded entitlement to travel by a predetermined amount depending on the two times involved. Such predetermined amount may in addition to reflecting any desired function of the elapsed journey time also reflect the time of day and day of the week.In this way the apparatus may, for instance, make larger than standard reductions of the encoded entitlement to travel during peak periods and smaller reductions at weekends if such are desired. It will be appreciated that no dependence is placed upon the actual distance travelled, whereas earlier systems have placed partial or total dependence upon the actual distance.
Any desired entitlement to travel may be encoded upon the object at the time it is sold to the traveller.
In addition, objects may be encoded with set convenient amounts of travel entitlement such as 5-worth for subsequent sale. Any convenient form of object and means of encoding may be used, but as it is particularly convenient that the object bearing the coded entitlement be a card similar to a bank credit card with information magnetically encoded the object will be described as a card hereinafter.
The same type of card may be used whatever the size of the initial travel entitlement; this facilitates discounting on large purchases of entitlement without the keeping of large stocks of different cards provided that encoding apparatus is available at the point of sale. Any desired types of card sales outlets may be used including vending machines. It will be appreciated that problems of change giving are much diminished compared with the sale of conventional tickets and where credit card operated vending machines are employed cash handling problems are eliminated entirely.
Cards may bear advertising material. Where it is desired to offer concessionary travel to certain categories of passenger, for instance children, senior citizens, the disabled, the encoded travel entitlement is sold more cheaply and in such cases the cards may be visually distinctive to facilitate inspection and deter abuse by transference to other categories of passenger, for example by colour.
The automatic apparatus used at the start and finish of a journey may be the same apparatus, as for instance in the case of a single apparatus mounted in a taxicab or minibus, or may be separate indentical equipments or separate start- and finish-dedicated equipments, any of which may be vehicle mounted or installed in a fixed location.
The automatic apparatus is preferably electronic apparatus and may be powered by internal batteries or by an external electricity supply. The automatic apparatus may indicate to the traveller the amount of travel entitlement remaining on a card via a liquid-crystal or other suitable display, routinely or by reversed presentation of the card should the traveller wish to check entitlement without travelling. The automatic apparatus shall preferably warn the traveller when the entitlement becomes low by visual or audible means or both.
The automatic apparatus may utilise internal clocks or be connected to a central master clock, in which latter case credit may be allowed for severe service disruption of the master clock.
The automatic apparatus may raise an alarm or demand further reduction of travel entitlement or debit a traveller's separate credit account or any combination of these should the travel entitlement on a given card be exceeded in the course of a journey.
It is possible for the same card to be used for travel with different transport operators each levying different charges e.g. railway, metro, bus, taxi, provided that the card is presented to an appropriate automatic apparatus at the beginning and end of travel with each operator. Summing devices may be include in the apparatus to facilitate apportionment of revenue between different operators and for census purposes.
Cards may be encoded additionally with security codes to prevent abuse by forgeries. Special cards may be provided to enable authorised persons to reset internal clocks, tomodify the way in which the reduction of travel entitlement is determined and for testing purposes.
A portable variant of the automatic apparatus may be carried by inspectors for the purpose of checking traveller's cards.
A particular advantage of the invention is the obligation placed upon the traveller to present the card at the end of a journey to the automatic apparatus, since otherwise the entitlement to travel conveyed by the card will progressively expire.
Other advantages include the elimination of the discontinuities created by fare stages and zone boundaries and the more equitable reflection of the operator's costs in providing the service.

Claims (24)

1. A method for levying charges for the use of passenger transport in which automatic apparatus reduces at the end of each journey a purchased travel entitlement encoded on an object carried and presented to the apparatus by the passenger by a predetermined amount dependent on the time which has elapsed since the object was presented to automatic apparatus at the start of the journey for verification together with encoding to enable the apparatus at the end of the journey to deduce the elapsed time.
2. A method as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the predetermined amount is additionally dependent on the time of day at which the journey takes place.
3. A method as claimed in Claim or Claim 2, wherein the predetermined amount is additionally dependent on the day of the week on which the journey takes place.
4. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the predetermined amount is any desired function of the time of day and days involved.
5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the amount of travel entitlement to be encoded on the object initially is determined at the point of sale.
6. A method as claimed in any claim preceding Claim 5, wherein the object is encoded with a fixed amount of travel entitlement prior to sale.
7. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein travel entitlement is obtained via a vending machine.
8. A method as in Claim 7, wherein the vending machine is credit card operated.
9. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the price of travel entitlement is discounted in relation to the amount purchased.
10. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the object bears advertising material.
11. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein objects bearing concessionary travel entitlement are visually distinctive.
12. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the automatic apparatus at the start of the journey and at the finish of the journey is the same apparatus.
13. A method as claimed in any claim preceding Claim 12, wherein the automatic apparatus at the start and finish of the journey is not the same apparatus.
14. A method as claimed in Claim 12 wherein the automatic apparatus is vehicle mounted.
15. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the automatic apparatus is substantially electronic apparatus.
16. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the automatic apparatus gives a warning when it perceives the travel entitlement remaining to be small.
17. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the automatic apparatus provides an indication of the remaining travel entitlement, whether automatically or on demand.
18. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein credit is allowed for severe disruption of the transport service.
19. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the automatic apparatus provides for penalising of the traveller if travel entitlement is exceeded in the course of a journey.
20. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the object is additionally encoded with security codes to combat fraud.
21. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein specialiy encoded objects are provided for authorised persons to test and adjust the automatic apparatus.
22. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein portable automatic apparatus is provided for inspectors to check the validity of passengers' encoded objects.
23. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the object is a card.
24. A method as claimed in Claim 23, wherein the card bears magnetically coded information.
GB08317148A 1983-06-21 1983-06-24 Passenger transport revenue control Expired GB2142178B (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT21702/83A IT1163550B (en) 1983-06-21 1983-06-21 CLOCK FOR STAMPING PRESENCE CARDS

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB8317148D0 GB8317148D0 (en) 1983-07-27
GB2142178A true GB2142178A (en) 1985-01-09
GB2142178B GB2142178B (en) 1987-03-11

Family

ID=11185630

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB08317148A Expired GB2142178B (en) 1983-06-21 1983-06-24 Passenger transport revenue control
GB8415756A Expired GB2142179B (en) 1983-06-21 1984-06-20 Time clock apparatus for recording attendance data on clocking cards

Family Applications After (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB8415756A Expired GB2142179B (en) 1983-06-21 1984-06-20 Time clock apparatus for recording attendance data on clocking cards

Country Status (4)

Country Link
DE (1) DE3422896A1 (en)
FR (1) FR2547937B1 (en)
GB (2) GB2142178B (en)
IT (1) IT1163550B (en)

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4758954A (en) * 1984-07-25 1988-07-19 Computer Services Corporation Method of adjusting ticket fares
FR2627610A1 (en) * 1988-02-22 1989-08-25 Cga Hbs FEEDING SYSTEM FOR TRANSPORT USERS
WO1989009459A1 (en) * 1988-03-22 1989-10-05 Jon Lie System for registering and paying for travels and similar services
FR2640062A1 (en) * 1988-12-02 1990-06-08 Crouzet Sa TARIFF METHOD AND DEVICE USING THE APPLICATION
EP0582098A1 (en) * 1992-08-04 1994-02-09 Ascom Autelca Ag Arrangement of several service machines locally separated and to be installed in traffic route systems of an area
EP0596579A1 (en) * 1992-11-04 1994-05-11 N.V. Nederlandsche Apparatenfabriek NEDAP Public transport system
WO2000033258A1 (en) * 1998-11-30 2000-06-08 Joachim Albrecht Method for charging the price of travel on public transport

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1124945A (en) * 1964-10-09 1968-08-21 Plessey Uk Ltd Improvements relating to pre-payment systems
GB1303651A (en) * 1969-01-11 1973-01-17
GB1392706A (en) * 1971-07-08 1975-04-30 Nat Res Dev Ticket systems

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CH194285A (en) * 1936-06-18 1937-11-30 Company Stromberg Electric Time recorder.
LU77607A1 (en) * 1976-04-02 1977-10-03
US4270043A (en) * 1979-03-13 1981-05-26 Kronos Inc. Methods of and apparatus for time clock recording and computation and related uses
DE3010051A1 (en) * 1980-03-15 1981-09-24 Gottfried 4000 Düsseldorf Rogge Cabinet-mounted fault indicating assembly - uses rack mounted modules containing number of visual and acoustic fault indicators
DE3010681C2 (en) * 1980-03-20 1982-04-22 Interflex Datensysteme Gmbh & Co Kg, 7730 Villingen-Schwenningen Time printer

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1124945A (en) * 1964-10-09 1968-08-21 Plessey Uk Ltd Improvements relating to pre-payment systems
GB1303651A (en) * 1969-01-11 1973-01-17
GB1392706A (en) * 1971-07-08 1975-04-30 Nat Res Dev Ticket systems

Cited By (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4758954A (en) * 1984-07-25 1988-07-19 Computer Services Corporation Method of adjusting ticket fares
FR2627610A1 (en) * 1988-02-22 1989-08-25 Cga Hbs FEEDING SYSTEM FOR TRANSPORT USERS
EP0330071A1 (en) * 1988-02-22 1989-08-30 Compagnie Generale D'automatisme Cga-Hbs Fare-paying system for transport users
US4977501A (en) * 1988-02-22 1990-12-11 Societe Anonyme Dite: Compagnie Generale D'automatisme Cga-Hbs Fare collection system using microwaves
AU611768B2 (en) * 1988-02-22 1991-06-20 Compagnie Generale D'automatisme Cga-Hbs A payment system for users of transport means
WO1989009459A1 (en) * 1988-03-22 1989-10-05 Jon Lie System for registering and paying for travels and similar services
FR2640062A1 (en) * 1988-12-02 1990-06-08 Crouzet Sa TARIFF METHOD AND DEVICE USING THE APPLICATION
EP0373036A1 (en) * 1988-12-02 1990-06-13 Monetel Tariffing method and device for its application
EP0582098A1 (en) * 1992-08-04 1994-02-09 Ascom Autelca Ag Arrangement of several service machines locally separated and to be installed in traffic route systems of an area
CH684444A5 (en) * 1992-08-04 1994-09-15 Ascom Autelca Ag Arrangement of a plurality of separate local einzusetzender the roads system of an area service machines.
EP0596579A1 (en) * 1992-11-04 1994-05-11 N.V. Nederlandsche Apparatenfabriek NEDAP Public transport system
WO2000033258A1 (en) * 1998-11-30 2000-06-08 Joachim Albrecht Method for charging the price of travel on public transport

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB2142178B (en) 1987-03-11
GB2142179A (en) 1985-01-09
GB8415756D0 (en) 1984-07-25
FR2547937B1 (en) 1988-10-14
FR2547937A1 (en) 1984-12-28
DE3422896A1 (en) 1985-01-03
DE3422896C2 (en) 1993-04-22
GB2142179B (en) 1986-09-03
IT1163550B (en) 1987-04-08
GB8317148D0 (en) 1983-07-27
IT8321702A0 (en) 1983-06-21

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Date Code Title Description
PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee