STAR Systems International (SSI) is a world leader in Automatic Vehicle Identification Technologies focused on providing best-in-class products and solutions for Smart City initiatives. SSI’s solutions have been widely used in applications such as Electronic Tolling, Electronic Vehicle Registration, Parking, and Secure Access Control. This article discusses how SSI is enabling another innovative Smart City application: in-vehicle payment.
As the name suggests, in-vehicle payment or in-car payment, allows users to make payments from the comfort of a vehicle without the need to step outside. In-vehicle payment is not a new concept. Most drivers can already make in-vehicle payments using credit cards. However, this article presents a novel solution that saves drivers a substantial amount of time at the fuel pump and at retail locations. This payment system was conceived, developed, tested, and put into action by PayByCar™, a strategic SSI partner.
Based in Boston, Massachusetts, PayByCar is a pioneer in the field of in-vehicle contactless payment systems. PayByCar seeks to provide a fast, quick, and secure payment option to everyday commuters. Anyone with a smartphone, a tolling transponder, or a “PayByCar Smart Tag” (a windshield transponder) can make a payment simply by driving up to the fuel pump and confirming a text (SMS) message. This new service allows customers to pay without having to undo their seatbelt, reach for the wallet, touch cash, or interact with the fuel pump’s screen pad.
“Everyone loves the simplicity of using the transponder that is already available in their vehicle to make everyday transactions. This takes customer experience up a notch,” said Anand Raman, Co-Founder, President, and COO of PayByCar. “Retailers like that it dramatically improves the customer experience by removing friction and time during transactions. In the case of buying fuel, for example, our solution eliminates several touchpoints from the transaction.”
For retailers, this new method of payment not only reduces transaction time, it also brings in more potential business to PayByCar enabled fuel stations. During a 180-day pilot study, PayByCar increased repeat visits by 117% (1).
Partnered with the E-ZPass Group, and SSI, PayByCar makes their service available to over 50 million E-ZPass device holders(2) through SSI’s Titan readers and Cheetah antennas. “The Titan is a perfect match for this solution because it is a multi-protocol reader. It can read all of the tolling transponders issued by the different tolling agencies in the U.S. This makes our service interoperable with other tolling agencies even if they use different protocols“, continued Raman.
In addition, the multi-port feature of Titan allows retailers to connect to multiple antennas which is a significant cost and space savings. This contrasts with typical readers that can only be connected to one antenna, resulting in additional required reader infrastructure, at additional cost.
“We are very excited about expanding the application of our products to this breakthrough payment solution. This came just in time when the world is looking into more ways to achieve contactless and cashless payments,” said Udi Delgoshen, Chief Business Officer of SSI. “This successful partnership showcases the versatility of our technologies. It also opens many opportunities for SSI. In the US alone, estimated over 65 million vehicles are equipped with a tolling transponder(3). The opportunity for this partnership is enormous!”
At the time of this writing, this new payment system has been deployed at 27 locations in Massachusetts. PayByCar plans to continue the momentum of its business growth by expanding to other use cases like parking and drive-thru food locations, expanding its user base and increasing usage per user.
References:
(1) https://www.mypaybycar.com/partners
(2) https://www.e-zpassiag.com/
https://www.e-zpassiag.com/about-e-zpass/driven-by-e-zpass
(3) PayByCar estimate based on various industry sources.
About PayByCar
PayByCar is a leader in making possible in-vehicle contactless payments for connected cars – both new models with state-of-the-art tech, as well as millions of older vehicles. We start with a simple goal – make in-vehicle payments easy, safe and fast today. If you have a toll transponder and a smartphone, you’ve got what it takes to join PayByCar now.
To Learn More Please Visit: https://www.mypaybycar.com/
About STAR Systems International
STAR Systems International (SSI) is a world leader in Automatic Vehicle Identification Technologies. SSI focuses on providing best-in-class transponders, readers and professional consulting services for Smart City Initiatives, including Electronic Tolling (ETC), Congestion/Road Use Charging, Electronic Vehicle Registration (EVR), Express/HOT Lane, Fleet Management, Parking and Secure Access Control applications.
SSI strives to ensure customer success by leveraging the Company’s technical expertise and implementation experience. SSI is guided by three principles: Outstanding People, Innovative Products and Service Excellence. These principles reflect the Company’s long-term expansive strategy to advance Smart City Technologies. “YOUR SUCCESS IS OUR VISION.”
For more information, please visit www.star-int.net