SCM Microsystems expands its product portfolio with introduction of three products. The new products are addressing the need for stronger and more convenient security solutions and access control applications.

PAT1461, the first new device in the series from SCM, is a physical access control terminal which supports the growing focus on contactless technology. PAT1461 makes secure contactless transactions more efficient by supporting the Sony’s FeliCa technology. ▸

Taiwan will be seeing a boost in contactless payments thanks to new capabilities added to the country’s popular EasyCards, according to squidcard.com

Beginning in April, customers will be able to use EasyCards, which have been used in Taiwan for transit since 2002, at various retailers for small purchases of goods and services. ▸

sQuid is launching a smart card and biometric solution that will allow students to make cashless purchases at school.

With the new system, parents can load money onto their children’s smart cards or biometric devices via a secure Web portal. Students can then use them to buy school lunches, print and make photocopies, or even pay for school trips online, eliminating the need to handle (and potentially lose) cash. ▸

Mumbai’s Western Railway (WR) is now accepting contactless payment via “Mumbai Go” smart cards, according to dnaindia.com.

Mumbai Go cards are already accepted on Mumbai’s Central Railway and the BEST, with the Western Railway being the last piece of the puzzle. ▸

The Forge in Miami Beach is now offering a unique wine-by-the-glass serving system, according to Miami New Times.

The system, provided by the Georgia-based company Enomatic, uses smart cards to enable wine drinkers access to The Forge’s 80-some wine offerings. ▸

New Delhi is planning to launch smart ID cards next year to help the poor and illiterate receive benefits from government welfare programs, according to The Press Trust of India.

The project was conceived after the IT department of the city Government of New Delhi found that substantial welfare benefits were not reaching their intended beneficiaries. ▸

Miami’s new smart card-based transit system rolls out in record time

by Ed McKinley, Contributing Editor, AVISIAN Publications

A new $42 million contactless smart card fare-collection system is helping Miami-Dade County Transit (MDT) boost ridership, streamline routes, combat fraud and make its service more convenient. Miami’s transit system is the nation’s 14th largest with a thousand buses, a 23.5-mile Metrorail system and a free 8.5-mile downtown Metromover system.

To smooth the transition to tapping the new plastic EASY Cards and paper EASY Tickets on contactless smart card scanners, MDT looked inward to draw upon the experience of its own transit chief and went outside itself to seek help of an experienced vendor. ▸