RFID and IoT-Enabled Public Transport Fare Systems: A Comparative Survey of Technologies and Security Challenges

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive study and practical implementation of an IoT-based public transport fare collection system utilizing RFID technology. The system integrates an ESP32 microcontroller, MFRC522 RFID reader, OLED display, keypad, and thermal printer, all connected to a Node.js server with MongoDB as the backend database. A key feature of the system is its ability to handle offline fare management, where fare data is written directly to the RFID card, enabling seamless fare deduction even when network connectivity is unavailable. Additionally, the system provides a web-based recharge portal, allowing users to remotely add balance to their cards. The backend server validates and synchronizes these transactions, ensuring that updated balances are reflected on the RFID card when scanned. To prevent unauthorized access and fraudulent recharge, a hardware-based authentication mechanism is implemented, ensuring that only authorized devices can issue or recharge cards. Comparative analysis with traditional fare collection systems highlights improvements in operational efficiency, reliability, security, and user convenience. The proposed system demonstrates the practical feasibility of integrating RFID, IoT, and web technologies to create a modern, secure, and user-friendly fare collection solution for public transportation networks.

Introduction

Efficient public transportation depends on fast, secure, and reliable fare collection. Traditional systems using cash, paper tickets, or magnetic cards are slow, prone to errors, and vulnerable to fraud, resulting in long queues, delays, and high administrative burdens. To address these issues, the proposed system integrates RFID and IoT technologies to create a modern, scalable, and secure fare management solution.

The system uses MIFARE Classic RFID cards for contactless transactions and ESP32-based IoT devices to manage fare deduction, card updates, and transaction synchronization. Unlike existing systems that rely heavily on continuous internet connectivity, this solution introduces offline balance management—fare data is stored directly on the card, allowing uninterrupted service even without network access. When connectivity returns, all offline data automatically syncs with a central MongoDB database through a Node.js backend.

A major innovation is the web-based recharge portal, which enables passengers to recharge cards remotely, purchase passes, and view transaction history. Once the card is tapped on the bus, the ESP32 updates the card with the new balance retrieved from the server, ensuring seamless synchronization. Security is enhanced through hardware authentication, allowing only authorized devices to issue or recharge cards, thereby preventing cloning or fraud.

The system architecture includes key hardware components (ESP32, MFRC522 RFID reader, keypad, OLED display, thermal printer) and software components (Node.js backend, MongoDB database, web portal). Core operations include card issuance, online and offline recharge, fare deduction, receipt printing, and automatic database logging. Offline-first design ensures reliability, while real-time syncing guarantees accuracy and transparency.

Overall, the system improves efficiency, reduces fraud, enhances user convenience, and supports scalability across large transport networks. Its novelty lies in combining offline fare deduction, secure hardware authentication, and a fully integrated web-based recharge platform—making it a robust, modern solution for public transport fare collection.

Conclusion

This paper presents an integrated RFID and IoT-based fare management system optimized for public transport applications. The combination of ESP32, MFRC522, and MongoDB ensures real-time and offline synchronization capabilities. Future work includes integrating GPS tracking for route-wise fare computation and expanding the system for multi-operator transport networks.

References

[1] Ravada, B. R., Tummuru, N. R., & Ande, B. N. L. (2021). Photovoltaic-wind and hybrid energy storage integrated multi-source converter configuration for DC microgrid applications. IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, 12(1), 83–91. https://doi.org/10.1109/TSTE.2020.2983985 [2] Sathe, A. D., & Deshmukh, V. D. (2017). Advance vehicle-road interaction and vehicle monitoring system using smart phone applications. In Proceedings of 2016 Online International Conference on Green Engineering and Technologies, IC-GET 2016. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. https://doi.org/10.1109/GET.2016.7916825 [3] Herdiyanto, D. W., Endroyono, & Pratomo, I. (2017). Passenger authentication and payment system using RFID based on-board unit for Surabaya mass rapid transportation. In Proceeding - 2016 International Seminar on Intelligent Technology and Its Application, ISITIA 2016: Recent Trends in Intelligent Computational Technologies for Sustainable Energy (pp. 305–310). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. https://doi.org/10.1109/ISITIA.2016.7828677 [4] Hargunani, K., Kengar, P., Lokhande, M., Gawade, R., & More, S. K. (2018). Integrated Bus System Using QR Code. In Proceedings - 2018 4th International Conference on Computing, Communication Control and Automation, ICCUBEA 2018. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCUBEA.2018.8697591 [5] Akter, S., Islam, T., Olanrewaju, R. F., & Binyamin, A. A. (2019). A Cloud-Based Bus Tracking System Based on Internet-of-Things Technology. In 2019 7th International Conference on Mechatronics Engineering, ICOM 2019. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICOM47790.2019.8952037 [6] Harini, B. K., Parkavi, A., Supriya, M., Kruthika, B. C., & Navya, K. M. (2020). Increasing Efficient Usage of Real-Time Public Transportation Using IOT, Cloud and Customized Mobile App. SN Computer Science, 1(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42979-020-00161-8 [7] J.Subramaniyan, S.Ajitha, A.Jothi, S.K.Nitharsini, Secured Disposal System, International Journal Of Information And Computing Science, 6 (2019), 639. [8] J.Subramaniyan, V.Muthukumarasamy, V.Vengatesan, G.Ramprakash, Money Withdrawal from ATM By Using OTP with Secure Bio Metric JASC: Journal of Applied Science and Computations, 5(2018). [9] Ganesh, S., Vengatesan, V., Richard Jimreeves, J., & Ramasubramanian, B. (2020). Simultaneous network reconfiguration and pmu placement in the radial distribution system. Advances in Mathematics: Scientific Journal, 9(10), 8143–8151. https://doi.org/10.37418/amsj.9.10.44 [10] Ganesh, S., Ram Prakash, G., & Michline Rupa, J. A. (2021). Optimal placement of green power generation in the radial distribution system using harmony search algorithm. In Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing (Vol. 1167, pp. 245–252). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-52854_23 [11] Selvaraj, G., Thangaiyan, V., & Rajangam, K. (2021). Numerical method for islanding the location of ground fault in the material based distribution system. Materials Today: Proceedings, 45, 634–639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.02.723 [12] Ganesh, S., & Kanimozhi, R. (2018). Multi objective approach for capacitor placement based on load balancing index in radial distribution system. Journal of Computational and Theoretical Nanoscience, 15(1), 282–288. https://doi.org/10.1166/jctn.2018.7086 [13] Ganesh, S., & Kanimozhi, R. (2018). Meta-heuristic technique for network reconfiguration in distribution system with photovoltaic and D-STATCOM. IET Generation, Transmission and Distribution, 12(20), 4524–4535. https://doi.org/10.1049/iet-gtd.2018.5629

Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Prathmesh Kulange, Dipak Sarvade, Sudesh Shelar, Amol Ghuge. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.