The boarding lane is where ferry revenue leaks
Every sailing has a fixed departure time and a fixed deck capacity. What varies is how long it takes to get vehicles and passengers through the lanes: a booth agent checking tickets one by one, a driver looking for a printed confirmation, a truck whose length was declared wrong, an on-the-day extension nobody has time to charge for. Each of these delays the sailing, ties up staff and leaves money on the quay.
Autlo turns the number plate into the ticket. The vehicle is recognised on approach, the tariff is calculated from the vehicle class, the sailing and the ticket type, the gate opens, and the screen tells the driver which lane to take. Passengers on foot pay online, in the app or at a payment machine. Reservations, passes, partner sales and on-site desks all run through the same system, and cargo, cars and passengers end up on one clear report. It works with the cameras, gates and screens you already have.
One system for everyone who boards
Passengers, vehicles and cargo each have their own products and prices, but they board the same sailing and are settled in the same system.
Passengers
Adult, child, senior and group tickets, sold online, in the app or at the terminal. E-tickets and QR codes are scanned at the gangway, so foot passengers board without a paper ticket.
Cars and vans
The number plate is recognised in the lane, the vehicle class and the number of passengers set the price, and the barrier opens. Pre-booked vehicles drive straight through.
Trucks and cargo
Freight is priced by lane metres, weight class or trailer type. Hauliers and forwarders get an account, postpaid invoicing and an API, and every unit is logged against the sailing.
Bicycles and foot traffic
Cyclists, pedestrians and commuters use a pass, a QR ticket or the app. Access to the gangway is opened by the same system that opens the vehicle gates.
Motorhomes and caravans
Vehicle length and height decide the price, and the trailer is recognised as part of the same booking. Overheight or overlength is charged automatically instead of argued at the booth.
Island and commuter routes
Small ferries with frequent departures run unstaffed: residents drive on with a season pass, visitors pay at the payment machine or in the app, and the operator sees every crossing.
From booking to boarding, automatically
Sell the ticket, recognise the vehicle, open the gate, guide the driver to the lane and collect the money. All of it configured in one system, none of it dependent on a booth.
Sell tickets and reservations everywhere
Customers buy in your webshop, the Autlo app or your own white-label app, at a payment machine or at the on-site desk. Reservations hold a place on a specific sailing, with live availability per vehicle class.
The number plate is the ticket
ANPR cameras read the plate on approach and match it to the booking, pass or account. No windscreen sticker, no printed confirmation, no stopping at a booth.
The gate opens and the lane is assigned
Paid and pre-booked vehicles get a green light and a barrier that opens. Vehicles without a valid ticket are directed to the payment lane or the desk, and the operator is notified.
Screens guide drivers and passengers
Information screens show the sailing, the lane number, the price and the payment status per vehicle, and departure information for passengers in the terminal. The content is driven by the same system, so it is always current.
Boarding without stopping
Vehicles roll onto the deck in the order the lanes release them, cargo is counted against the manifest, and the sailing closes with an exact list of who is on board.
Billing, invoices and reports
Card payments are settled instantly, account customers are invoiced monthly, and partner sales are reconciled automatically. Revenue per sailing, route, vehicle class and channel is available in one report.
Cost calculation that follows your timetable
A tariff engine instead of a fixed price list. Prices are configured by you and calculated by the system for every ticket, vehicle and sailing.
Time and day
Peak and off-peak sailings, weekdays and weekends, high and low season, and specific dates such as holidays and events.
Ticket type
Adult, child, senior, student, group and resident fares, with return and open-return variants.
Vehicle class
Cars, vans, motorcycles, motorhomes, buses and coaches priced by class, length and height, with passengers included or added per person.
Cargo and trailers
Trucks, trailers and unaccompanied units priced by lane metres, weight class or dangerous-goods category.
Passes and season tickets
Multi-trip cards, monthly and seasonal passes and resident subscriptions (digital permits) tied to a vehicle or a person, billed automatically.
Reservations and capacity
Prices can change with remaining deck capacity, and guaranteed places on a sailing can carry a reservation fee.
Ways to pay
Offer the payment experience that fits your route, or all of them at once. On-site sales, reservations and passes run through the same channels.
Webshop
Customers book a sailing, choose the vehicle class and pay online in advance, or settle a crossing afterwards. Reservations, passes and tickets are sold in the same shop.
App — ours or white-label
The Autlo app or a ferry app under your own brand: buy tickets, show the QR code, register the number plate and see the next departures from the phone.
Payment machine and on-site desk
A payment machine in the lane or the terminal for walk-up customers who pay by card, and a desk application for staffed sales, changes and refunds.
The Autlo technology behind it
The same platform underneath, configured for ferry operations.
ANPR payments
Number-plate recognition that turns the vehicle into the ticket and connects to any existing digital camera or to cameras we supply.
Any gate, any barrier
Connects to the barriers, gates and gangway doors you already have, and opens them by plate, app, QR code or PIN.
Screens and displays
Lane displays, price and status screens and departure boards, all driven by the same data as the payments.
Smart cost calculation
Prices calculated from time, day, ticket type, vehicle class and cargo dimensions, with passes and reservations on top.
Payments and terminals
Webshop, app and white-label app payments, payment machines in the lane and postpaid invoicing for account customers.
API sales for partners
Tourist agencies, hotels, hauliers and booking platforms sell your tickets through the API, with live availability and automatic settlement.
More than the crossing: one account for the whole port
Everything a customer spends at the port and on board can run through the same account and the same invoice.
EV charging in waiting areas
Vehicles charge while they wait for the sailing. Charging is started by plate or app, paid together with the ticket, and stops when the lane is released.
Dynamic load management
Share limited grid capacity across chargers in the waiting lanes automatically, so a full holding area never trips the supply.
Port parking
Long-stay and short-stay parking at the terminal, paid by plate and combined with the ferry ticket for passengers who leave the car behind.
Terminal facilities
Open waiting rooms, showers and driver lounges with the same app, QR or PIN methods that open the gates, for ticket holders only.
White-label ferry app
Launch a ferry app under your own brand for tickets, boarding passes, departures and account management, or add these services into an app you already run.
Built on two decades of vehicle payment technology
Autlo has been making vehicles pay their way since SMS parking in 2001, through enforcement apps, automatic street payments and plate-based access to today's platform for parking, charging, toll roads, marinas, racetracks and campsites. A ferry lane is another place where a vehicle is identified, priced and let through. The same tariff engine, payment channels and hardware integrations apply, with ferry-specific products such as sailings, deck capacity and cargo units on top.
Trusted by operators across sectors
Common questions
Yes. Autlo connects to any digital camera, any barrier or gate and any display you already operate, or we can supply the hardware where something is missing.
Foot passengers buy a ticket online, in the app or at a payment machine and board with a QR code or a pass. The gangway gate or turnstile is opened by the same system that opens the vehicle lanes.
From the vehicle class, length and height, the number of passengers, the sailing time and day, the ticket type and any pass or reservation attached to the plate. The rules are configuration, not custom development.
The plate is recognised and the driver is directed to the payment lane, the payment machine or the desk. Registered account customers are billed automatically. Unpaid crossings follow an enforcement workflow instead of being written off.
Yes. The API exposes sailings, availability and prices, so tourist agencies, hotels, forwarders and booking platforms sell tickets and reserve cargo space directly, with settlement handled by Autlo.
Yes. The webshop and the app are available as white-label products, and the payment machines and screens carry your branding.
The platform is developed in the EU and processes plate data in line with GDPR. Retention, access and purpose are configurable to your legal requirements.
With existing cameras and gates, a pilot route can typically be running in weeks, because tariffs, products and payment channels are configuration rather than custom development.
Start boarding by number plate
Whether you run a short island crossing, a busy car ferry route or a freight line, get automatic ticketing for passengers, vehicles and cargo, prices that follow your timetable, gate access on any hardware and one clear overview of every sailing and every euro.
Questions about ferry payments?
Tell us about your route and we will show you how plate-based ticketing, pricing by sailing and vehicle class, gate access and partner sales would run at your terminal.
Hardware solutions
Dedicated hardware and on-site services to power a modern parking, charging, and cargo logistics operation.
Payment Terminals
Unattended payment terminals supporting card and cash payments, built for reliable 24/7 operation in public and private environments.
Parking Kiosks
Self-service parking kiosks, where the users register their free or discounted parking.
Parking Information Displays
Parking data screens that display real-time availability, occupancy, and key parking information for drivers and operators.
Dynamic Load Management
Smart load management for EV chargers which protects your installation and supports solar, batteries, and offline operation
Cargo Drone Logistics
Heavy-lift cargo drone services in 15kg, 60kg, and 120kg payload classes, for ship-to-shore maritime transport and time-critical industrial delivery.
Software solutions
Autlo supports your business with dedicated software built to run your operations — from parking and EV charging to custom logistics solutions.
Parking Operator Software
Autlo provides a complete software suite for managing parking operations.
Office Parking Management
Manage employee, visitor, and tenant parking with digital permits, shared spaces, and automated access.
Charge Point Operator Software
Autlo offers charge point operator (CPO) software designed to work seamlessly alongside parking systems.
Parking and Charging Hardware
Discover parking and charging hardware including payment terminals, kiosks, screens
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Know exactly which vehicles enter your site, when they arrive, and how long they stay.
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