Design & Manufacturing services. In order to optimally manage its business, Dublin Bus has embraced developments in technology which are providing great benefits to its customers. Quaestors familiarity and knowledge of Dublin Bus Fare Collections technologies goes back to the early 1990’s.

Client requirements

In 1989 Electronic Ticket Issuing Machines (ETMs) needed to be implemented, replacing the old mechanical ticketing machine units. The deployment of Fare collection systems at Dublin Bus is summarized as follows:

  • 1989 – Electronic Machines
  • 1990-1 – Magnetic Card Readers and launch of magnetic s-stripe tickets
  • 1995 – Autofare machines
  • 2001 – Trunked Radio Systems
  • 2005 – Replacement Electronic Ticket Machines (ETMs)
  • 2008 – Smart Card System and Readers
  • 2009 – Radio System upgrade
  • 2010 – AVL and Control Centre
  • 2011 – integrated ticketing

Result

Magnetic Card Validators (MCV) are connected to ETMs by the RS485 network, over time as technology was added to the bus it was also connected via the ETM-hosted RS485 network. Devices hosted on the network gather data from tachometers, odometers, passenger numbers, current location, door openings, tickets sales etc..To enable communication between devices Quaestor designed and manufactured an RS 485 10 Port network unit. Today the device is still a critical piece of technology utilised on all Dublin Buses.