The 20th Winter Olympic Games held in Turin, Italy in 2006 were used to introduce and trial a major new integrated smart card system provided by Norwegian company Q-Free. In cooperation with Italian motorway concessionary SITAF, GTT (Turin's public transport company) and ATIVA (the operators of the Turin ring road), Q-free proposed the SI.PASS system which enables users to pay at toll plazas without having to queue, while providing easy parking and admission to public transport. The system comprises an onboard unit (OBU) and a smart card. The first card allowed unlimited use of the A32 motorway toll, the Turin ring road toll, unlimited use of the city's public transport and parking in the city centre and at Olympic venues. A second, more expensive card, also allowed users unlimited access to the Frejus Tunnel. Q-Free and SITAF are finalising the pricing model for ongoing use of the SI.PASS. The smart card is based on the Calypso standard for contactless smart cards. This will enable Q-Free to use the same OBU worldwide. The SI.PASS technology also complies with the European Digital Short-Range Communication (DSRC) standard.
Samenvatting