RFID Tags Keep Buses on Time

Filed in archive RFID Basics on February 26, 2004

Residents of Bogota, Colombia now get home from work to their families 75% faster -- all because the buses use RFID tags.

Bogota had a big traffic problem. Its 23,000 private transit buses frequently left the less populated streets and all converged on major thoroughfares to compete for the bulk of riders. The average daily commute time used to be an incredible four hours.

Then Bogota passed a law requiring buses to stick with assigned routes, which are monitored by RFID tags provided by Identec Solutions, a Canadian company. WM Wireless & Mobile, a Colombian company, provided the systems integration work.

The daily commute has now dropped to one hour.

Transit police use PDAs equipped with RFID readers. The bus need only pass within 10 feet (3 meters) of the officer, who can verify the bus is on its assigned route. If it is not, the officer issues a citation.

Four hour commute? Whew!