Passengers aged 65 and over can now use facial recognition instead of a physical fare card to pass through bus turnstiles on participating TEU services in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, Brazil.
The ticketing system’s expansion covers regular metropolitan routes and municipal bus services in six cities. A total of 1,031 regular-service buses have TEU validators capable of supporting the facial recognition process, which checks a registered passenger’s image online before releasing the turnstile.
Passengers activate the check by selecting the facial biometrics option on the validator screen. The service was developed by public transport technology supplier TACOM and follows a pilot that began on June 20 for people registering or updating their details at SOUL’s Alvorada service point. More than 3,500 older passengers have enrolled, accounting for more than 18,000 uses during that initial period.
Enrollment is free at 11 TEU service locations and does not require an appointment. New beneficiaries must bring photo identification, their CPF taxpayer identification number and current proof of address. Existing registered passengers can update their records using their physical card and proof of address.
Current cardholders can continue using their cards. New registrations and benefit revalidations will include facial biometric enrollment. A physical identity document also remains acceptable as proof of eligibility for free travel, although passengers using that option stay in the front section of the bus rather than passing through the turnstile.
The participating municipal systems serve Alvorada, Cachoeirinha, Gravataí, Sapiranga, Sapucaia do Sul and Viamão. Executive and selective services are excluded, as are connections using Porto Alegre’s TRI system, Trensurb rail services and CatSul catamarans.
TEU says the biometric information will not be shared with third parties and will be handled under Brazil’s General Data Protection Law. TACOM commercial superintendent Paulo Celso Carneiro said development took approximately 30 months, covering architecture, security, performance, privacy and operational integration.
Facial verification has also been tested for bus travel elsewhere in South America, including a pilot in Santiago. In Porto Alegre, a separate facial access-control project at Beira-Rio Stadium has applied the technology to ticket-holder entry.
The TEU service currently targets older passengers eligible for free transport. Beneficiaries can enroll or update their details at service points across the metropolitan region before using the face-only boarding option.
Sources: Rádio Pampa
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
