Manila launches first RFID toll collection

14km access-controlled toll expressway links Manila to the southern province of Cavite
June 26, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

The Manila-Cavite Expressway, more commonly known as Cavitex, has become the first toll road in the Philippines to use radio frequency identification (RFID) electronic toll collection technology, with the launch of EasyDrive, a paper-thin battery-less sticker.

Metro Pacific Tollways (MPTC) has introduced the new prepaid electronic toll collection system as part of the company’s plan to modernise Cavitex.

The 14 kilometre access-controlled toll expressway links Manila to the southern province of Cavite. Daily traffic averages 110,000 vehicles; the company expects a 13 per cent penetration rate for the EasyDrive card and plans to introduce it on the North Luzon Expressway (NLex) later this year.

EasyDrive, which can carry out transactions at three to four seconds per vehicle, was designed to decongest the toll plazas.  Motorists need only to slow down to pay the toll; the sticker is placed on the inside of the windshield and sensors at the toll plaza activate the radio/antenna to identify the vehicle and take payment.

Cavitex Infrastructure Corporation (CIC) and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co (PLDT) have also installed a fibre optic backbone along the expressway to host ongoing systems upgrades related to toll collection, telecommunications, and security operations. Other upgrades include completion of a toll collection migration which includes improvement of the telecommunication system and installation of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras for round the clock monitoring of Cavitex.

Launching the new system, MPTC president Ramoncito Fernandez said: “EasyDrive was a creation of MPTC’s research and development team, consistent with the company’s continuing innovation thrusts to attain the ultimate customer satisfaction in terms of tollway products and services.”

Charging, Tolling & RUC

Related Content

  • Raytheon to convert Massachusetts to AET
    August 14, 2014
    The Massachusetts Department of Transportation awarded Raytheon Company a US$130 million contract for an all electronic tolling system (AET). Raytheon and a team of Massachusetts-based companies will convert and replace all manual cash and electronic toll collection systems with an advanced system that will automatically toll vehicles as they pass under a gantry similar to an overhead sign. Drivers will be able to pass through the toll station at highway speeds without the need to slow down or stop. Ray
    Read More
  • 3M shows faith in tolling
    August 13, 2012
    3M’s decision to acquire the business of Federal Signal Technologies Group (FSTech) from Federal Signal Corporation for a purchase price of US$110 million in cash provides an insight into the company’s view of the tolling industry’s future health. 3M says the fast-growing US$3 billion electronic tolling industry is projected to grow at a rate greater than 12 per cent per year as government agencies increasingly rely on tolling to fund roadway infrastructure, construction and maintenance. The company says FS
    Read More
  • Vendeka signs Philippines deal at Intertraffic
    March 26, 2014
    Vendeka underlined the robust health of the Turkish ITS industry when it signed a multi-million dollar deal with the San Miguel Corporation of the Philippines, at Intertraffic last night. The contract is to implement Vendeka’s Hybrid electronic toll collection (ETC) solution in three major highways in the Philippines. The scope of the project covers three tollways, 60 plazas, 300 lanes and 200,000 RFID tags.
    Read More
  • Traffic to flow freely over world’s widest bridge
    November 13, 2012
    Pete Goldin reports on a new Egis project in Canada, providing open road tolling operations for the widest bridge in the world. A bridge can present a bottleneck in a system of roads or it can support the smooth and unobstructed flow of traffic. Much depends on the bridge design, surrounding infrastructure and tolling system. By adding lanes and deploying open road tolling (ORT), the new Port Mann Bridge located in the metropolitan Vancouver area in British Columbia, will alleviate congestion at one of the
    Read More

Highlighted Content