The project's need
In Cayirbag, city transport is run with minibuses. A minibus route produces a different set of problems from a bus route, and that was precisely the project's starting point:
Revenue sharing rested on trust. In minibus operation the vehicle may belong to the municipality and the operation to a private operator, or the other way round. In either case the parties must trust each other on "how many passengers boarded today". Without measurement that trust is retested at every tariff period, and the relationship wears down.
Per-vehicle efficiency was unknown. Because it could not be measured which vehicle ran full at which hour and which ran empty, the timetable was built on experience alone.
The student tariff was off the record. Since the number of students boarding at a discount was unknown, the real effect of that tariff on the route could not be calculated either.
Why an akbil system was chosen
In Cayirbag the akbil system was brought in less as a fare collection tool than as a measurement instrument that makes the account between the parties objective. Because every boarding is recorded independently in a card system, revenue sharing between the municipality and the operator came to rest on records rather than declarations. This is the gain that creates the most value on minibus routes; in a cash system neither party could show the other any concrete document.
The general structure of the system
- Vehicle layer: A Sole validator was mounted in each minibus at a position suited to the narrow interior. The fare is calculated by the card type's tariff rather than on the device, and the result is announced on screen and by voice.
- Top-up layer: Balance loading is done at a point designated by the municipality; every top-up is documented with a receipt and money never changes hands inside the vehicle.
- Central layer: Card types, tariffs and the student discount are defined centrally. Even if a vehicle loses connectivity it accepts the passage and relays it once the connection returns - on rural routes this feature is a practical necessity.
Every transaction being traceable
Every boarding is recorded with which card, on which vehicle and at what time. That record is both the basis for revenue sharing and an input to timetable planning. The municipality can now answer "is there really demand at this hour" with data; departures running empty can be identified and shifted to peak hours. The balance on a lost card can be frozen and transferred to a new one.
The benefit delivered
- Revenue sharing rests on records, not declarations. The account between the municipality and the operator is no longer a matter for dispute.
- Efficiency became visible by vehicle and by hour. The timetable is built on data rather than experience.
- The effect of the student tariff can be calculated. Because discounted passages are reported separately, the cost of that tariff is known.
- The driver only drives. Taking money and giving change left the vehicle, and waiting at stops shortened.
- The route does not stop when connectivity does. Passages are accepted on the vehicle and relayed centrally once the connection returns.
Carrying the card beyond transport
Cayirbag Municipality's card is not a minibus ticket but a municipal card assigned to the citizen. The same card can later be used at a sports facility entrance, a cultural centre, a public canteen or a library; each service is defined and reported separately in the system. Every point at which the municipality meets the citizen is thus tied to a single identity.
Card designs
Cayirbag Municipality’s cards were designed for the minibus route and colour-coded by tariff: green for the full fare card, blue for the student card. The back is printed with the top-up point and terms of use.
