Smart technology is having a profound impact on the transportation sector. Smart cards and other smart devices support a wide variety of applications that make travel easier and more profitable. Why is smart technology increasingly used in the transport area? And how can you use smart tech to your advantage?
1] Reasons to Use Smart Technology in Transportation
Transportation systems around the world are high-use, high-impact structures serving the needs of diverse populations. The most common reason for using smart tech in a transportation system is to turn labor-intensive tasks into automated tasks, therefore saving time and money.
In this way, the transportation sector spends less money on wages and delivers a more streamlined system which allows more users and consequently more revenue at any one time. Smart technology also gives real-time insight into the use of systems and availability of stock, allowing for efficient analysis of resources.
Here are some of the most common uses for smart cards and smart card reader technology in transportation.
2] Smart Tech for Automated Ticketing
Most people have used a smart card to operate public transport. The use of a card with journey details and payment stored on it is now commonplace in most developed nations.
The benefits of using a smart card for payment are clear. It is much quicker to pass a card over a reader than take money from a wallet and deposit it into a collection point.
Bus drivers do not have to interact with customers for payments and can concentrate on efficiently operating their vehicle. Train companies do not have to provide ticket officers. The efficient use of smart cards for tickets speeds up the process of boarding and allows for a smoother journey.
The benefits for the consumer include not having to find coins for a journey, being able to load money onto their card in advance so they do not run out, and not having to wait in line while everyone pays their fare before getting on the bus or train. Human errors are also reduced, which results in a better service for everyone.
3] Smart Technology for Vehicle Identification
Transportation companies easily track where vehicles are in time and space with embedded smart and RFID technology like chips and tags.
Companies know when vehicles arrive back at the depot and how long they take to complete their routes. Smart technology allows for more efficient route planning and can help with emergency measures in the case of route diversions.
4] Container Tracking for Shipping
Smart technology is not only useful for public transport. It also benefits the commercial shipping sector. Operators track the location of shipping containers at key points of the journey, to provide a more streamlined shipping service.
This can be done with the use of UHF tags and readers at ports, hubs or on ships. This way, there is a feed of information on the status of a container, and information can also be added in terms of weather conditions or unexpected delays.
Smart technology provides more control, more visibility of processes, and a more streamlined service for customers. It is essential for modern transportation systems and can be easily integrated into most processes and procedures for time and money savings.
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