WEST CHESTER, Pa. — MEI, developer of electronic payment systems, announced in a news release that its MEI Series 2000 bill acceptor has been integrated into the PCS Revenue Control Systems, Inc.'s NetCASH machine. The kiosk system, which will be deployed in 50 select school cafeteria locations throughout the U.S. in 2005, enables parents and students to add money to their food service meal account in real time.
Housed in a secure, 13-gauge steel enclosure, the NetCASH system features a deposit record printer, barcode scanner, user interface, and networked controller board in addition to the MEI bill acceptor. The units are an add-on module to PCS' FASTRAK School Meal Software, which is currently used in more than 800 school districts across the United States. NetCASH machines help cafeterias speed service by reducing or eliminating cash handling for payment of lunches. Since cash is added to student accounts ahead of time, students simply key in a PIN or swipe a card to check out. The units can be deployed in school cafeterias, near school entrances, in the offices, hallways or elsewhere to provide easy access to school meal accounts.
"We went with an MEI bill acceptor because they are the toughest and most reliable on the market," said Jacob Beri, marketing manager for PCS. "MEI products have been proven rugged enough to stand up to high-volume use in unattended systems, and they are easy to maintain. School personnel can empty the cash cassettes themselves and quickly swap in a new one."
