Brazil has spent nearly two decades presenting programmes for the automation of fare collection on public transport. Initially, these programmes attracted large international companies but when the results of their activities proved disappointing, they left the country. Programmes in Sao Paulo and Belem using magnetic tickets or contactless smart cards were evaluated. In Sao Paulo, the reaction of Trades Unions to the redundancy of conductors/ticket collectors and their replacement by machines was not anticipated. The views of the local authority were also not taken into account. In Belem an outside contractor was used for the programme and difficulties with the contract emerged. The contractor also failed to consult adequately with the other companies and the transport users. Fraud was not prevented by the system used. For the covering abstract see ITRD E116619.
Abstract