About Citizens' Cards
What is a Citizens’ Card? Citizens’ Cards are smart cards developed for use in individual, closed community schemes within which local citizens are each provided with a single card capable of performing many useful and convenient functions relating both to Local Authority services and to a variety of commercial applications. People living in a community can therefore replace many existing cards with a single Citizens’ Card, and can use this for Proof of Age, educational services, as a library card, for access to leisure facilities, for mass transport, as well as for commercial functions.
How does it work?
All those living and working within a community can apply for a Citizens’ Card. Cards contain service and entitlement data relating to that citizen, and can be used at terminals deployed throughout the scheme area in order to evidence eligibility for a range of Local Authority services and to hold functions for other useful commercial activities such as car parking, bus ticket payments and even retail loyalty programmes. Each scheme has a central computer system which collects card-initiated transactions stored in terminals, and processes, reconciles and clears these daily.
Why have one?
Citizens’ Cards benefit the entire community within which they operate. The Local Authority can deliver its services more efficiently, effectively and accurately. Local citizens can replace many short-term, specific-function plastic cards with a single, multi-application smart card. Local businesses can benefit by joining the scheme and providing points of value-loading, points of service, as well as enjoying the membership of a retail loyalty programme.
The citizens' card in action
Those living or working in a community are invited to apply for their Citizens’ Cards. Personalised cards are then issued for use in the various ways included in the overall scheme. Data for new services can be added to existing cards after a Citizens’ Card scheme has commenced, and cards issued at the beginning of a properly planned scheme will have the capability of continued use despite subsequent changes and additions to the original scheme functions.
The range of services which can be included in a Citizens’ Card scheme can cover both public and private sector applications as follows:
- Public sector applications
o School meal payments, free school meal entitlements, vending and access control
o Library lending, photocopying services, Internet access and payment of fines
o Leisure centre payment, vending and access control
o Concessionary entitlements of various types
- Private sector applications
o Mass transit ticketing
o Parking payment and access control
o Park and Ride ticketing
o Retail loyalty and payment
o University campuses - access control, ID, meal payments, vending and registration
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