Magnetic Tickets

Magnetic tickets provide one simple way to implement a cashless payment system. E-Kent’s magnetic tickets are coded for each service operator, and are sold through E-Kent systems which create magnetic tickets with the specified amount of credit. When the ticket is used in E-Kent’s validators at points of access for the service, the appropriate fare or price is deducted from the ticket’s credit, and the funds automatically transferred to the operator. E-Kent’s magnetic ticket systems are widely used, including for telephone services, public transport services, catering services for students, bridge tolls, tunnel tolls and road tolls.

Contactless and Contact smart cards

A smart card is the size of a credit card, but it contains a computer microchip instead of a magnetic strip. This microchip stores and processes various data in a physically and electronically secure medium.

A contact smart card is read when it physically contacts the appropriate card reader. It is widely used for public phones, pre-payment cellular phones, ATMs, healthcare services, pre-payment meters and tourism services.

With more modern contactless smart cards, physically touching the reader is optional - close proximity to the reader is sufficient. This is enabled by a small embedded antenna, enabling the card to communicate with the appropriate card reader from a certain distance. This makes smart card use faster and more reliable. Contactless smart cards have particular advantages in contexts requiring the rapid processing of large numbers of smart cards, such as public transport systems, personnel check-in and check-out applications, and security systems.