Metro Pacific Tollways introduces latest tech to speed traffic

By Manila Bulletin, as seen on https://business.mb.com.ph/2018/02/16/metro-pacific-tollways-introduces-latest-tech-to-speed-traffic/, February 16, 2018, 10:00 PM

Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), the tollways arm of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), announced the introduction of the latest Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)  technology to ease travel  through major tollroads managed by  MPTC in Northern and Southern Luzon.

EasyDrive (powered by EasyTrip) is the country’s first RFID sticker tag used for toll payment instead of cash. It uses a paper-thin battery-less sticker that contains a chip and antenna; attached to a vehicle’s windshield or headlamp, it can be used at EasyDrive dedicated or mix toll lanes on Cavitex.

The times are even longer during public holidays such as All Saints’ Day, Holy Week,  and Christmas holidays, MPTC said.MPTC said  163,162 private vehicles are now installed with MPTC’s RFID tag stickers, allowing them to quickly pass through toll gates in the north and south.  According to data, it takes 9 to 12 seconds to pass through SLEX/NLEX and Cavitex toll plazas for motorists paying cash, but only 2 to 4 seconds to enter and exit of cars with EasyDrive or EasyTrip stickers.

“It is our corporate objective to provide motorists with an efficient and quicker access of expressways to allow them to reach their destination conveniently and faster,” Rodrigo Franco, MPTC president, said.

Similar RFID sticker tags are now being used on tollways in the United States, Canada, Taiwan,  and in some parts in Europe, he said.

Franco also announced that MPTC has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to provide RFID sicker tags to its emergency vehicles to allow them to respond to emergencies.

The RFID sticker tags were installed in  100 MMDA emergency response vehicles bearing an initial load of R500. Upon depletion of the initial load,  the MMDA will take over the responsibility of loading the RFID tags for quick and easy access to toll roads.

The partnership is expected to speed up the MMDA’s emergency response vehicles’ entry and exit in the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway toll areas in the north, and Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) in the south.

“We are pleased to partner with MPIC/MPTC,” said Danny Lim, MMDA chairman. “This will allow us to quickly extend our Metro-wide services particularly in areas within the metropolis where we need to pass through NLEX and Cavitex toll plazas.”