Q-Free ASA is a Norwegian company that develops and manufactures advanced information and payment systems for the transport sector. In its eighteen years of existence, Q-Free ASA has delivered major automatic toll-payment systems to countries worldwide. The company has its head office in Trondheim and branch offices in Oslo, Portugal, Brazil, China, Australia and Malaysia. In 1998, Q-Free ASA was awarded a contract to supply a new electronic ticketing system in Trondelag (Middle part of Norway) - the EBIT project. This is a common system in which 14 public transport companies use the same type of ticketing machine, payment card (smartcard called the t-card)) and back-office system. A common clearinghouse ensures that the ticket revenues are shared between the companies and a trusted third party deals with security between the parties. The total number of passengers per year is 22,000,000. The total number of vehicles is 600 and the number of smart cards is 120 000. Having developed and commissioned the EBIT project, Q-Free has moved a long step towards a total integrated payment system that integrates Ticketing and Tolling applications catering for a common and highly efficient method of payment in the public and road traffic transport industry.
Abstract