I hear the word "Metro" used as a generic term for transit systems often. I think it reflects the variety of transportation options usually included in a "Metro" system: subway, elevated trains, street cars, buses, etc.
Agreed. I used to work in a library, and was able to do something similar with our scanners.
The only thing "new" might be the recognition of being able to pass "alt-?" key combos through PDF-417 barcodes, which are becoming more and more ubiquitous, while the scanners still just pretend to be keyboards.