The project's need
Susuz is a town in Afyonkarahisar whose population changes noticeably between summer and winter. Three problems had built up in the municipality's public transport:
The only source for daily takings was the driver's word. On a cash route you know how much money came in, not how many passengers were carried. There was no record to measure the gap between the two, so the municipality could not show whether the route actually made a profit or a loss.
The student discount was re-argued on every boarding. The town has a high student population. Proving discount entitlement with a paper document was difficult for driver and student alike and caused needless waiting at morning stops.
Small change slowed the operation down. Whenever the fare was not a round figure the driver had to hunt for change, which lengthened trip times at peak hours.
Why an akbil system was chosen
What drove Susuz's decision was not scale but the need for measurability. A small town has few vehicles, and precisely for that reason the efficiency of each one is felt directly in the municipal budget. Moving to cards answered the question "how many passengers does each departure carry"; it became possible to reach more passengers with the same vehicle by rescheduling existing departures by hour, without adding routes.
The general structure of the system
The installation was split into three layers, with no layer able to override another:
- Vehicle layer: A Sole validator was mounted in each vehicle, positioned so as not to obstruct the driver's field of view. The fare is calculated not on the device but according to the tariff defined for the card type; the result is announced on screen and by voice.
- Top-up layer: Balance loading is done at a single point designated by the municipality, and every transaction is documented with a printed receipt. Money never changes hands inside the vehicle.
- Central layer: Card types, tariffs and discount entitlements are defined in the central software. Even if a vehicle loses connectivity it accepts the passage and relays it once the connection returns.
Every transaction being traceable
Every boarding is recorded individually: which card, on which vehicle, at what time, under which tariff. This record is used not only for revenue tracking but for resolving disputes - when a citizen says "my balance was deducted wrongly", the record itself is examined rather than anyone's memory. The balance on a lost card can be frozen and transferred to a new one.
The benefit delivered
- Revenue and passenger numbers can be measured separately. The municipality now sees the route's real load and real revenue independently of each other.
- The student discount is no longer a matter for debate. The entitlement is defined on the card itself; the driver does not need to verify anything.
- Small change and giving change are gone. Waiting at stops shortened and trip times became consistent.
- Cash left the vehicle. Since money only changes hands at the top-up point, the risk of loss dropped sharply.
- Tariff updates from a single point. Fare changes are made centrally, without visiting vehicles one by one.
Carrying the card beyond transport
Susuz Municipality's card was designed as 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
Two card types were designed for Susuz Municipality. The fronts feature images of the municipality’s own investments (the solar power plant and the renewed town square); the back carries the top-up point and terms of use.
