BORNHOLMSTRAFIKKEN
by Precise Biometrics

Precise Biometrics cuts administration costs at Bornholmstrafikken.

The shipping company Bornholmstrafikken (Bornholm, Denmark). Every year 1.2 million passengers cross the waters between the Danish island Bornholm and the Danish and Swedish mainland with the ferries of Bornholmstrafikken. A substantial part of the passengers are commuters.

Challenge: Bornholmstrafikken struggled with long lines at the ticket sales and suffered from high costs for administration of ticket sales and check-in. While the group of commuters among the customers had to stand in time-consuming lines, costs for ticket administration were unreasonably high. The shipping company needed to find an easy-to-use solution that could be installed, operated and maintained within the margins for budget.

Solution: After contacting Precise Biometrics’ partner PayVend Solutions, a Danish systems integrator and distributor of payment systems, Bornholmstrafikken decided that a solution based on the combination of fingerprints and cards would solve their ticket sales administration issues. Less time could be spent on administration and passengers could handle the purchase of tickets and check-in themselves, without having to spend time in lines. In addition, the administrators would know exactly who boarded the ferry.

Fingerprint reader: Precise BioAccess™ Mifare, for physical access control designed for contactless smart cards

Payment solution software: BHG ver.1.01 from PayVend Solutions

Result: After installing the fingerprint based solution at all of Bornholmstrafikkens ferry-stations in Denmark and Sweden, Bornholmstrafikken expects to greatly decrease the company’s costs for administration of ticket sales and check-in, while increasing the service to the group of commuters among the customers. The investment for a complete solution like this has a very short pay back time—less than a year. So far, 8,000 passengers have registered their fingerprints on their new ID cards, the “Bornholmer-card”, and are handling the purchase of tickets and check-in without help from the ticket office. In total, Bornholmstrafikken estimates that 10,000 passengers will use the new system.

Precise BioAccess™ Mifare: In addition to saving time, the usage of fingerprint readers at Bornholmstrafikken also means increased security.

Why Precise Biometrics? The idea of using fingerprints came up after hearing about SAS Airlines testing Precise Biometrics’ technology for checking-in passengers at aircrafts. Precise Biometrics’ fingerprint technology was integrated in PayVend Solutions payment system, and Bornholmstrafikken was offered an easy-to-use system that met their demands for decreased administration costs and user convenience.

Cut costs & improved customer service:

Commuters at Bornholmstrafikken use Precise Biometrics’ fingerprint readers

Quick and secure, are some of the comments on the new ticket and check-in system for commuters at Bornholmstrafikken, provided by Precise Biometrics and its Danish partner, the systems integrator PayVend Solutions. The new system for the estimated 10,000 frequent travellers at Bornholmstrafikken was introduced at the beginning of year 2003 and gives the passengers the possibility to handle purchase of tickets and check in themselves, using a smart card and their fingerprint.

So far, 8,000 passengers are using the new check-in system based on fingerprints.

Faster procedures—decreased costs
Today, commuters book their tickets in advance either through a booking system on the Internet or by telephone. When passengers arrive at the ferry-station, all they have to do is put their smart card and fingerprint on one of the fingerprint readers to confirm their reservation and then board the ferry. The former system was characterized by long-winded and time-consuming procedures as passengers had to stand in line to get the discounted tickets they were entitled to, as well as for check-in.

Increased security
In addition to saving time, the usage of fingerprints also means increased security. Thanks to the new ticket and check in system, Bornholmstrafikken can be sure that the passengers are exactly who they claim to be. “When you use fingerprint as identification you don’t need a PIN code. If you lose your card nobody else can use it, as it is tied to your fingerprint,” said Kim Sørensen, Traffic Manager at Bornholmstrafikken.

Approval from the Data Inspection Board
Though a majority of the passengers welcomed the idea of a new ticket and check in system, some were still concerned. The worry concerned whether the registration of fingerprints was in contrary to the law of personal particulars and violated the user’s personal integrity. As a result the project was reported to the Danish Datatillsynet (the Data Inspection Board), who shortly after gave its formal approval. The reason is that with Precise Biometrics’ technology the fingerprint is stored directly on the card and not in a database or elsewhere. The cardholder is the only one who can use the card, as it cannot be used without the cardholder “unlocking” it with his or her fingerprint. “This technology is going to be huge. What we see now is just the beginning”, Kim Sørensen, Traffic Manager at Bornholmstrafikken concludes.

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