OK, my cynicism’s showing again. According to this story in InfoWorld transportation authorities in Germany have begun testing a system that allows passengers to use contactless smart cards to pay fares.
T-Systems International, the IT services and infrastructure arm of German telco Deutsche Telekom, has developed an e-ticketing system in collaboration with the German Mass Transit Authority (VDV), which represents hundreds of regional bus and train companies in the country…he system consists of several components: the so-called “VDV core application,” a semiconductor-based smart card equipped with a miniature antenna, RFID technology for retrieving data from the cards over the airwaves, and sensor-based card readers. The technology allows passengers to pass by a card reader without having to swipe or insert their cards into the device.
Perhaps the Germans should check with the Mobitex operator in Korea who deployed 
such a system six or seven years ago, and even allowed passengers to add value to the cards at kiosks at newsstands and shopping arcades. Or perhaps they might want to have a look at this.
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