Worldwide, RFID systems are being used in metropolitan areas to manage fare collection in mass transit systems. 

In Tokyo seven million commuters are using RFID-based cards that store cash.  Cash is deducted from the card whenever the card holder enters the transit system.  In China residents of Guangzhou, Beijing, Chengdu, and other cities can pay for a bus, taxi, subway (metro), or ferry rides with their contactless smart card. 

Similar systems are being explored and developed for U.S. cities including Chicago and Washington D.C.  Cubic Transportation Systems is a leading player in RFID-based mass transit systems.

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The prospect of using RFID to tag and track consumer products sparks privacy concerns. The amount of commentary became elevated recently when Benetton and Philips Semiconductors announced their intention to tag many of their garments as they move through distribution and retail.

Mark Rotenberg is executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington and he commented, "I think RFID has a role to play in inventory management, but once a product is sold to a customer, the rules change. I think it'll be a terrible mistake for manufacturers to track the use of their products,"

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