Further, many organisations and companies do not fully understand the specific needs of different urban solutions. A new system can only be fully implemented when the developer understands its target culture. Whilst a sudden change in the Netherlands transport payment system might challenge the everyday Dutch commuter, it works spectacularly well in South Korea, where the T-Money system was introduced with few glitches. The reasons why it works so well are simple: first, Korean consumers are, on the whole, very receptive to new technologies and ideas and constantly seek new alternatives to daily habits. Secondly, all Seoul stations are designed in the way that passengers cannot exit without going through a barrier and scanning the smartcard. If you don’t have enough credit on your card, you can reload it at a machine located conveniently near the barrier. Further, in 2004, Seoul’s Metropolitan Government linked up with the electronics firm, LG Group, along with other credit card and telecommunications companies, in order to enable this credit application. Since its launch, the Korean Government has generated an average of $46m profit a day – enabling Seoul’s metro to become absolutely paper-free, and creating savings of over $31m since 2012. Anyone can purchase and recharge their cards at stations, banks, convenient stores and kiosks, and the credit can be used in lieu of cash or credit cards in stores, fast-food restaurants and car parks. It is simple, appealing and available to everyone – but just because this digital fix works in South Korea, doesn’t mean it can be adopted in every city.
via Fare Enough — How Smart Technology Could Waste Commuter Time and Money | Sua Son.