Hoeft & Wessel supplies ticketing vending machines to Poland

The manufacturer Hoeft & Wessel AG will supply ticketing vending machines (TVM’s) to Poland. Asseco Poland S.A. has now ordered 109 TVM’s of the almex.station product series which will be supplied in the second half of 2012. The new generation of terminals will be set up at bus and tram stops of the municipal transit association of the industrial region of Upper Silesia headquartered in the city of Katowice (KZK GOP Komunikacyjny Zwiazek Komunalny Górnoslaskiego Okregu Przemyslowego). These TVM’s are part of a project for the introduction of a new smart card featuring RFID technology.

The rechargeable SKUP card, as it is called, can be used both to pay for tickets and for services offered by municipal facilities. The SKUP card itself can also be bought at the new TVM’s. As a result, the terminals themselves also feature as a key distribution channel for the new means of payment. Moreover, the RFID card can also be topped up at the TVM’s.

Main contractors of the comprehensive smart card project are the Polish companies Asseco Poland S.A. and BRE Bank S.A. Asseco is the seventh largest IT provider in Europe and market leader in Poland with key focus of its business operations in Eastern Europe. BRE Bank is one of the top Polish providers of comprehensive corporate banking service.

The region of Upper Silesia has roughly 2 million inhabitants. With its 250 trams and 1,000 line buses, the municipal transit authority carries 300 million passengers per annum.

Thanks to their big 15″ (381 mm) touch displays, the new TVM’s are easy and convenient to operate. At the new almex.station terminals, payment can be made both in cash and using EMV contactless credit cards – and the new SKUP smart card. The terminals are already prepared for a possible introduction of the euro. With over 10,000 TVM’s throughout Europe, Hoeft & Wessel provides a tried- and-tested, reliable ticketing system with long service intervals as an additional benefit.

For several years now, Eastern Europe has been one of the key regional focal points for business operations of the Hoeft & Wessel Group. Stationary and mobile ticketing systems have already been implemented in several countries.