Vetter Verkehrsbetriebe, based in Salzfurtkapelle, is one of the largest privately owned bus companies in Germany, operating over 500 buses with a workforce of 750 employees. In recent months, AMCON has implemented a new onboard system for this mid-sized transport service provider. The UFHO board unit has been installed by Vetter GmbH in over 100 route buses operating in the Anhalt-Bitterfeld district.
In addition, the software company developed an ID-based eTicketing system built on a standard considered to be highly secure and virtually unhackable. “We chose AMCON’s solution because it offers our passengers modern, user-friendly features and can be flexibly adapted to meet future requirements. Alongside the introduction of eTicketing, we are also managing up to 15,000 customer subscriptions, and we expect our payment kiosks to be connected to the UFHO backend system shortly,” says Johannes Wolke-Vetter.
AMCON develops ID-based eTicketing for Vetter
AMCON’s proprietary eTicketing system is based on an ID that is linked to a customer account in the backend system. All products assigned to a given customer account are stored there. On board, the UFHO unit in the bus checks the validity of the eTicket using this ID. Data updates or new eTickets are transmitted to the onboard unit at regular intervals. Unlike other systems, only new or modified datasets are transmitted, as a full update of all data would be too time-consuming. Since managing lists and datasets can be quite complex, this system works exclusively with whitelists. Any eTicket not appearing on the whitelist is considered invalid and flagged as such to the bus driver. “For the eTickets, we use MIFARE® DESFire EV2 smart card technology, which currently represents the highest available security standard and has not shown any vulnerabilities,” says Darius Rauert, Managing Director of AMCON. This smart card technology is certified to EAL5+ security level (Common Criteria certification).
The modern UFHO solution goes beyond ticketing and validation
The standard UFHO board unit consists of a driver and customer display, printer, eTicketing reader, and IBIS adapter. This allows the bus driver not only to sell and validate tickets but also to control the entire IBIS interface directly via the board unit. Thanks to RBL light, the vehicle solution is connected in real time to the INSA-RBL system, improving connection assurance. Additionally, the local fare structure for the Anhalt-Bitterfeld district is fully managed through the UFHO backend system. A messaging module ensures constant communication between the driver and the control center, allowing predefined text messages to be sent or alternative routes to be communicated to the driver. An emergency and assault alert function is also included.