All About Automated Fare Collection (AFC) Technology

Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) will provide an efficient public transport system and revamp the urban infrastructure, apart from lowering traffic congestion and reducing air and noise pollution.

Ticketing solution for HMR is a state-of-the-art Automated Fare Collection (AFC), based on Contactless Fare Media technology. The prototype has been manufactured by Samsung SDS. Capable of handling high traffic, especially during rush hours, the system has a highly secured infrastructure and a user friendly interface, with induction loop for the hearing impaired and an interactive touch screen. AFC gates and ticket vending machines are designed to meet the needs of all passengers.

The Automated Fare Collection (AFC) system categorizes each Metro Rail premise into two separate areas – ‘paid’ and ‘unpaid’, demarcated by the automated entry and exit gates. These automated gates ensure that only passengers with valid tickets can enter the ‘paid’ area, which simultaneously ensure a 100% ticket check-in facility.    

Hyderabad Metro Rail will have two types of fare media - Contactless Smart Card (CSC) and Contactless Smart Token (CST). Suitable for non-frequent passengers, the contactless tokens are pre-paid options for journey between metro stations and they can be paid for a single trip or return trip. For a Contactless Smart Card, the fare between two Metro rail stations is deducted automatically from the stored amount at the exit gate. Available as either monetary (e-Purse) form or non-monetary (Pass) form or combination of these options, CSC will be a convenient option for frequent passengers.

With a web application for the commuters, Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) solution will allow passengers to top-up and recharge their contact-less smart cards online. It will accept valid credit/debit cards for buying and recharging smart cards and tokens. It also has sub-systems such as Automated Passenger Gates, Ticket Vending Machines, Ticket Office Machines, Add Value Machines, Ticket Readers and Portable Ticket Analyzers.

The Automated Fare Collection (AFC) system will ensure that Hyderabad Metro Rail is at par with latest passenger service and passenger security criteria.