OV-Chipkaart: contactless smart cards in the service of the community
Currently, in the Nederlands, the main payment instrument for using public transport is OV-chipkaart (where OV is public transport (openbaar vervoer), and chipkaart is translated as a smart card). It is about this payment instrument and technology of its implementation that I want to tell in this article.
The technology was first used in the Rotterdam metro in April 2005. In 2006, the program was expanded to the Amsterdam metro and five tram lines. From July 2007, all the trams and buses of Rotterdam began to take OV-chipcaard. Since January 2009, the payment system has become available everywhere and in all types of public transport.
The gradual transition to a new payment system is fully justified, thanks to which it was possible to avoid various excesses during the implementation stages.
The OV-chipkaart payment system is based on Phillips technology (more precisely, on Mifare technology of its subsidiary NXP Semiconductors).
Smart cards used in the OV-chipkaart system are contactless, which adds comfort to the use due to the fact that there is no need to get a smart card, for example, from a wallet (and I, like a happy owner of a jacket with a pocket on his sleeve, have The fare payment generally takes place in a magical way ...) The distance at which information is read from a smart card reaches five centimeters.
Anonymous and personal smart cards are based on Mifare Classic 4K cards containing approximately 4 kilobytes of available memory. Reading and writing information to the card are protected by keys that are accessible only to authorized partners. One-time (prepaid) smart cards use cheaper Mifare Ultralight technology.
It is believed that the cryptographic protection technology (Milfare Crypto-1) can theoretically be cracked, but at the moment it provides an extremely high level of protection against so-called phishing (or stealing money from a bank account by creating a “clone” card)
First of all, the OV smart card must be purchased. At this stage, we have three options for the development of events:
So, suppose we bought the card. Now (unless of course we have a one-time card), we must replenish the balance.
The balance can be replenished in buses at specially established terminals for it (at the same time, bank cards can be used as means of payment), in cash or with a bank card at special terminals (mainly located at railway stations), or at railway stations in customer service department.
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The fare consists of two parts: Inchecken and Uitchecken:
- Hong Kong - Octopus card
- Denmark - Rejsekort
- Germany - Touch & Travel
- Switzerland - ENGADINcard
Having experienced the ease of use of this system, I sincerely hope that a similar system will soon be available everywhere in my home country - in Russia.
A bit of history:
The technology was first used in the Rotterdam metro in April 2005. In 2006, the program was expanded to the Amsterdam metro and five tram lines. From July 2007, all the trams and buses of Rotterdam began to take OV-chipcaard. Since January 2009, the payment system has become available everywhere and in all types of public transport.
The gradual transition to a new payment system is fully justified, thanks to which it was possible to avoid various excesses during the implementation stages.
Technology:
The OV-chipkaart payment system is based on Phillips technology (more precisely, on Mifare technology of its subsidiary NXP Semiconductors).
Smart cards used in the OV-chipkaart system are contactless, which adds comfort to the use due to the fact that there is no need to get a smart card, for example, from a wallet (and I, like a happy owner of a jacket with a pocket on his sleeve, have The fare payment generally takes place in a magical way ...) The distance at which information is read from a smart card reaches five centimeters.
Anonymous and personal smart cards are based on Mifare Classic 4K cards containing approximately 4 kilobytes of available memory. Reading and writing information to the card are protected by keys that are accessible only to authorized partners. One-time (prepaid) smart cards use cheaper Mifare Ultralight technology.
It is believed that the cryptographic protection technology (Milfare Crypto-1) can theoretically be cracked, but at the moment it provides an extremely high level of protection against so-called phishing (or stealing money from a bank account by creating a “clone” card)
How this system works:
Consider the use of OV-chipkaart from the point of view of an ordinary user:
First of all, the OV smart card must be purchased. At this stage, we have three options for the development of events:
- Option number 1 is a one-time smart card: As the name implies, the balance of this card cannot be recharged, and, accordingly, it will work exactly as long as there is a certain amount of money on it. It will be convenient (due to the fact that the cost of the card is equal to par) for people using public transport only occasionally.
- Option # 2 - Anonymous OV Smart Card: An anonymous smart card is a solution for people who use public transport more often, but who do not have any benefits. Favorably differs from a one-time card in that there is no need to acquire a new card each time.
- Option number 3 - personal OV smart card: The most advanced, if I may say so, type of smart cards. The card is a photo of the owner and personal data, such as name and surname. On the one hand, it is the most expensive type of cards, but, on the other hand, only the holder of such a card can count on benefits (for example, related to age).
Balance replenishment:
So, suppose we bought the card. Now (unless of course we have a one-time card), we must replenish the balance.
The balance can be replenished in buses at specially established terminals for it (at the same time, bank cards can be used as means of payment), in cash or with a bank card at special terminals (mainly located at railway stations), or at railway stations in customer service department.
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Let's go directly to the trip.
The fare consists of two parts: Inchecken and Uitchecken:
- When entering the bus, entering the tram, entering the subway, or on the platform (in the case of travel by train), the smart card holder undergoes the “Inchecken” procedure, in which a certain amount of money is withdrawn (in the case of a bus, for example 4 euros) and the countdown begins. To perform Inchecking, you need to bring a smart card to a contactless terminal. Each terminal is connected via wireless communication with the processing server, at which the transaction processing takes place.
- Upon reaching the destination, the owner of the smart card undergoes the “Uitchecken” procedure, at which the kilometers are counted and the unused sum is returned to the account linked to the smart card.
Similar payment systems in other countries:
- Hong Kong - Octopus card
- Denmark - Rejsekort
- Germany - Touch & Travel
- Switzerland - ENGADINcard
Having experienced the ease of use of this system, I sincerely hope that a similar system will soon be available everywhere in my home country - in Russia.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/111106/
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