Apart from entrance and exit gates, pay-on-foot machines are the most important point of contact between patrons and the car parks access and revenue control facilities. The simple coin operated machine of yesteryear has long been replaced by modern multi-purpose pay-on-foot devices capable of issuing parking tickets, granting validations and accepting numerous different means of payment. Austrian-based access control specialist SKIDATA has accepted the challenge and come up with a new line of products equipped with a broad range of features designed to make things for the operator and patrons easier than ever before.
The result, the new .Cash generation of pay-on-foot machines, saw its official launch at this years Intertraffic. Apart from the mainline product Easy.Cash, which accepts all common means of payment from cash to credit and debit cards, SKIDATA offers a Credit.Cash model, which is designed exclusively for cashless payment.
The result, the new .Cash generation of pay-on-foot machines, saw its official launch at this years Intertraffic. Apart from the mainline product Easy.Cash, which accepts all common means of payment from cash to credit and debit cards, SKIDATA offers a Credit.Cash model, which is designed exclusively for cashless payment.
Ergonomics counts
From the outside, the most characteristic feature of Easy.Cash is its stylish design, which reflects significant attention to ergonomic details such as the arrangement of illuminated interactive elements and overall user guidance. In practice, all this translates simply into this: card and cash slots that are very easy to reach, few control buttons (each with self-explanatory functions), a well-lit, easy-to-read graphics display, and a well-structured operating software. Users of Credit.Cash can expect similar benefits, only in an even more compact enclosure.Its thanks to the heavy focus on ergonomics that both pay-on-foot machines meet all product design requirements for disabled access (display size, accessibility of control elements, etc.).
The technology advantage
SKIDATA systematically employed technical innovations (e.g., higher processing speeds and improved fault tolerance) to simplify and shorten the payment procedure. A much appreciated feature (and one not found in most pay-on-foot devices on the market) is the ability to return change in the form of banknotes. Change hoppers are automatically replenished with coins taken, which significantly reduces the cash supply needed for giving change. To provide all these benefits, Easy.Cash and Credit.Cash are powered by the proven Coder Unlimited card processing mechanism, which was designed by SKIDATA with critical aspects such as time optimisation, user friendliness and economy in mind. Patrons can choose from a variety of payment methods, including cash (Easy.Cash only), and a variety of credit and debit cards, bank cards and customer cards. The latest trends point towards innovative technologies such as Near-Field Communication (NFC). Fitted inside regular mobile phones of various international providers, this technology turns the mobile into an electronic medium usable, for example, for parking tickets, but also for contactless, cashless payment. When you have to pay for something, at least making that payment should be as easy as possible, explains Dirk Fox, Business Segment Manager at SKIDATA. In the end, its a good way to keep patrons happy and make it easy for them to keep on parking.
