Octopus card

The Octopus card is a rechargeable contactless smart card that is used in electronic payment transactions in Hong Kong. Featured in September 1997 as the world's first ticket of this kind for the urban subway ( MTR), it has become a widely used non-cash payments. It can be used among other things in grocery stores, supermarkets and car parks. With over 24 million Octopus cards in circulation and nearly 300 service companies that accept this, it is one of the world's most successful e-cash systems is (as of January 2006). It replaced the previous magnetic card system called "Common Stored Value Ticket " ( General value card).

Acquisition of Map

Since the Octopus card is anonymous, its user must register the purchase anywhere or present his ID. They can be purchased at the service counters of the stops of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR ) and Kowloon - Canton Railway (KCR ). The card is not bought, but borrowed it. With every purchase of the card 50 HKD (4.7 EUR ) are included as a pawn in the cost. If you lose the card, only the stored thereon credits will be lost. The internal memory of the board any personal information about account information or credit card data is stored. Except for the " personalized " Octopus card.

If you give the card again, you get the deposit amount paid, together with the remaining balance of the card. If the case is subject to a return fee.

Also Octopus watches were produced, which can be purchased at the service counters of the MTR and in 7-Eleven stores.

The Octopus card can be purchased exclusively with Hong Kong dollars at the service counters of the MTR.

Type of use

The card can be used in almost all transport systems in Hong Kong ( excluding taxis ), many stores are used in the city, including 7-Eleven, McDonald's and Starbucks.

Although the Octopus card is anonymous, each containing a unique serial number. Therefore, it is used in some buildings for access control. Only persons with registered cards in the system are granted access.

The Octopus card works without contact by ordinary material such as cotton or leather round up to a distance of several centimeters. The debiting of the credit lasts 0.3 seconds. The debit of the Octopus card is a partial section method ( storing and ends ), that is, the card reader do not need full-time connection to a central database or a computer. The information stored in a debit retrieved hours later on a computer or can by a clearing device (usually a Pocket PC) are read.

The private Creative Star Limited (CSL ) went into operation in 1993 and is responsible for the settlement of accounts between the Octopus system and the operators or dealers. Due to these activities, the CSL has a permit for taking payments from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority ( HKMA ).

Facts

  • About 24 million Octopus cards are in circulation.
  • 95 % of the population of Hong Kong, between 16 and 65 in age, they used.
  • About 12 million transactions take place daily.
  • The daily transactions amount to more than 130 million Hong Kong dollars ( HKD)
  • 2003 found about 25% of transactions are not conditioned transportation instead.

Card types

Standard cards

Personalised Octopus card

A recently released version is the " personalized " Octopus card, which contains the bank account with the Bank of the holder to an automatic charging or an automated payment. In this case, however, is dispensed with anonymity. But it offers the convenience of automatic charging of 250 HKD ( 23.49 EUR ), if the credit should be used up. Against misuse if lost, the card can be locked.

Special Octopus " card "

There is a watch that contains the Octopus chip in a plastic bracelet. The user needs only to the wrist via the card reader to graze. Nokia produced an Octo -Phone, which contains the chip in the Xpress-on cover of mobile phones ( Nokia 3300 series).

Technology

The Octopus system was developed by AES Prodata (Hong Kong) Limited, a member of the ERG Group of Companies, headquartered in Perth, Australia. AES Prodata is responsible for the design, construction, operation, maintenance and financing of the collection of fares in the Octopus system.

For the Octopus card, RFID technology is used ( radio frequency identification), so that users need only hold the card near the reader. Direct contact is not necessary. As a microchip, with over 12 million delivered cards for Hong Kong, the FeliCa chip is used. Octopus uses a non- standard method of RFID since 1997, during the development phase, this industry was still under construction and not yet the standard had emerged. This differs, for example, from the 2010 designed Clipper card, which relies on Near Field Communication.

In order to transmit the information about the transactions that stops with local networks ( LAN) are equipped, which can deal with various devices such as hubs, charging terminals and cards auditor of the Octopus card. Such a network has over a frame relay wide area network to connect to the center in the port of Kowloon. From there, all transactions, withdrawals, user statistics and maps boots, managed to be submitted by the different service providers daily.

Similar technology is still used for the following cards:

  • Helsinki: Matkakortti since 2000
  • Greater Tokyo Area Super Urban Intelligent Card ( Suica ) since 2001
  • Singapore: EZ -link card since 2002
  • London: Oyster Card since 2003
  • Taipei Easy Card for MRT Taipei and Kaohsiung MRT
  • Netherlands: OV- chipkaart since 2005
  • Atlanta Breeze Card since 2006
  • São Paulo: Bilhete Único
Clipper-Card EZ-Link Easycard OV-chipkaart
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