ID cards get smart
Italy`s two national ID programmes - the citizen ID and the new foreign worker ID, have signed a $15 million agreement with LaserCard for optical memory cards, reports Government Technology.
The foreign worker card programme was mandated by the Italian Parliament late last year. This is the first order received by LaserCard for this new programme.
Most of the foreign worker cards will be valid for two years and then will need replacing if the cardholder wishes to continue to work legally in Italy while a smaller percentage - expected to be about 10% - will be valid for only one year before they need to be replaced. Deliveries under the foreign worker ID programme are scheduled to be completed in April 2006.
LA leapfrogs to new technology
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is set to roll out a smart card-based fare system, SecureIDNews reports.
What`s unique about the programme is that it will take the fare system direct from paper tickets and tokens to the smart card.
"Most transit agencies use magstripe cards (before migrating to smart cards), but not so with Los Angeles," said Mark Kroncke, director of business development for the western region for Cubic Transportation Systems, the company developing the Los Angeles fare payment system. "LA is going from tokens and paper tickets right to smart cards."
Cards 'burden` transit authorities
Smart cards are making life easier for commuters using public transportation, but more difficult for transit authorities that must manage the complex deployment of the technology, according to a new study from Accenture.
Washington Technology cites the study as saying that in the shift from a traditional token-payment system to smart cards, transit system operators must track collections and manage new, more advanced software and hardware.
Accenture is among the IT industry heavyweights that want to break into what analysts and industry experts predict will grow into a billion-dollar domestic smart-card market over the next decade. It is touting the survey results to local transit authorities to convince them they need an independent entity to run their operations.
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