The Payment24 fuel payment and driver management system can be deployed using existing equipment and systems present at most fuel station forecourts, and is in strong demand in developing countries.

Information and communication technology company Paradigm will expand its fuel management system in Ghana, Kenya, Namibia and Botswana, as well as in other African countries through a network of partners, says Paradigm MD Shadab Rahil.

The Payment24 system uses contactless radio-frequency identification on banking terminals to manage vehicle verification and fuel payments, including prepaid and postpaid accounts. The forecourts of many fuel retailers in developing countries already have contactless readers on their terminals.

“Our system provides good control over fuel and payments and is easy to roll out across a wide network of fuel retailers. We mainly focus on developing markets, including Africa, Asia and South America, to provide a low-cost and reliable security solution for fuel payments.

“Our system is specifically targeted at small, medium-sized and microenterprises, and the low cost of deployment, good security and control, as well as real-time management and monitoring, are significant benefits to smaller companies and have resulted in robust demand for our system,” says Rahil.

The system can be used to link drivers and vehicles to specific fuel transactions, enabling many combinations of fuel payment permission and verification processes to provide robust security and control over fleet fuel management.

“Companies can design various rules according to their business needs or risks to govern fuel payments, including time-based rules to control the payments that fall outside drivers’ shifts.

“Our design criteria were aimed at reducing the infrastructure required to roll out the system and using existing infrastructure at fuel retailer forecourts. However, the centralised control system, which can be accessed from hand-held smart devices or a Web-based interface, enables companies to override rules to enable fuel payment in unforeseen circumstances, such as drivers being delayed or having to use alternative routes.”

Further, the Payment24 system produces fuel management reports and the data can be sent to enterprise resource planning systems. The system also produces driver reports and vehicle reports, enabling each to be assessed and controlled individually, notes Rahil.

The Payment24 system is cloud-based and the intelligence of the system runs on the remote servers while providing access to users wherever they are.

“The cloud-based engine handles the fleet parameters for specific companies, including times during which drivers can buy fuel for specific vehicles and how often, besides other criteria.

A fleet operator can select the authentication process that is required, including various rules for different times, trucks and/or drivers, and the system also enables full self-service functionality, regardless of where or when the company must manage its fuel payments.

The system is not labour or technology intensive, and the contactless readers placed in trucks are tamperproof. Authorisation of payment by a company’s manager or administrative official can also be included, should the company prefer this to automatic credit limits and other automated forms of control, concludes Rahil.