Traveling quickly and safely

If you go somewhere by car, boat or plane, you have one thing in mind: getting from A to B as quickly, safely and easily as possible. And RFID can play a large part in realizing this aim. Whether in security checks, ticket sales or toll booths – RFID can help save time when it comes to usually time-consuming processes.

The Finnish airline Finnair offers regular passengers e-tickets containing an integrated RFID transponder. When the passenger passes through a gate with a reader, the system automatically checks the ticket’s stored data. If this information matches to the information in the database, the software gives the passenger a "green light". This allows passengers on domestic flights to pass without further checks. This makes long check-in and boarding processes a thing of the past.

In Tokyo, passengers can pay for their train tickets with an electronic travel card. The Super Urban Intelligent Card (Suica) can be topped up at credit machines by any amount. To buy a ticket, all passengers have to do is pass a reader. This records the costs of the journey and subtracts it from the card’s credit. Train station kiosks also now accept Suica cards as a form of payment. This great success is helping Japan’s trains become more and more popular.

In the USA, the E-ZPass helps reduce waiting periods at toll booths. The pass, which is equipped with an active RFID transponder, is simply attached to the inside of the car’s windscreen. At toll booths, E-ZPass owners have their own lane. Readers can recognize the information sent by the pass, and special software then deducts the toll due from the remaining credit. And all this happens without the driver even having to stop.