GlobeSherpa announced plans to support Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology – also known as Bluetooth Smart – for transit management and fare collection, providing a low cost, low power consumption offering ideal for verifying and validating fares in fast paced, high volume environments.
“Bluetooth Low Energy technology provides a significant opportunity to simplify the payment verification and validation process for frequent users of public transit”, said Michael Gray, chief technology officer at GlobeSherpa. “We believe Bluetooth Low Energy technology presents a new horizon for all of our customers and we are excited about the potential this emerging technology presents.”
With GlobeSherpa’s BLE offering, transit riders will be able to easily and seamlessly board a bus or train without having to manually launch a ticket. As riders approach a bus or train stop, BLE will identify the device located at the location and activate the ticket automatically. The GlobeSherpa system will also have the ability to present the rider with relevant nearby information such as local deals from retailers and coupons at local merchants. With BLE technology, transit agencies, parking lot operators, and merchants can significantly improve the customer experience with a small investment in GlobeSherpa’s BLE enabled devices.
BLE devices use tiny coin-cell batteries, allowing them to operate for months or even years. BLE is available for iOS 5 and later, Android 4.3 and later, select Windows Phone 8 devices, and BlackBerry 10.
Fare Collection
Moovel
Oct. 23, 2012
BC Transit
