USB-enabled smart transit card to trial in France

Smart cards that combine RFID contactless transaction capability with USB connectivity will be trialed by French public transportation company SNCF according to a report from RFID Journal. As well as working with existing RFID transaction infrastructure, Neowave's Weneo smart cards enable users to purchase tickets from a PC at home using the USB connection... and it's also a handy 4GB portable data storage device.

The Weneo card promises security for both contacless transactions and the USB link as well as an extra level of visual security in the form of a lockable ID-Photo slot on the front. The personal identity and account information of the user is not directly accessible through the RFID component which operates from a second chip and holds only a unique ID number. When the card is swiped at the turnstile, this number is sent to a back-end system and the cost of the journey deducted.

If the initial trial involving 1,000 SNCF customers is successful there are plans to expand the solution nationwide in 2010.

NEOWAVE demonstrated the Weneo Pass technology at the Transport Public show in Paris Expo in June.

Via Wired, RFID Journal.