Electronic Toll Collection, Say Goodbye to Long Lines

1. Electronic Toll Collection, Say Goodbye to Long Lines Advancement in technology has led us to do everything in a flash. Thanks to the contactless or E-toll collection system, toll payment has become way faster than ever before. Commuters don’t have to wait in the long queues outside the tool booth to make payments. It’s as quick as watching the toll booth going past while driving. They don’t need to carry cash either. A big thanks to the electronic toll collection system again. Passing through toll plazas on highways has always been time taking and frustrating. Commuters have to wait in long queues of vehicles until their turn comes. On busy highways, it sometimes takes hours to pass through the toll plaza. People sitting in the toll booth have to do lots of tasks, such as collecting the payment or swiping a card, issuing the receipt, and returning the change at the same time. It usually takes 5 to 10 minutes to deal with just one commuter. The delay causes a great deal of inconvenience to both toll collectors and commuters. In case of emergency, the commuters sometimes undergo irreparable loss. But, this has become the thing of the past now with the advent of fast E-toll collection systems. Electronic toll collection systems are rapidly becoming a popular way for digital toll payments. They allow fast processing of cashless and contactless toll collection, enabling commuters to pass through in no time whatsoever. They don’t have to stop their vehicles at the booth for toll payment as the E- toll collection system does it for them. Let’s now have a look at how it works. The vehicle must have an automated radio transponder equipped in it to take advantage of the E-toll collection. A transponder is a device that receives radio signals from a roadside toll reader when the former passes the latter it. After receiving the signal, the transponder transmits back an identification number that registers the vehicle’s use of the road. When the transmission is over, an electronic payment system activates the toll charges on the driver, and the toll is collected. The contactless toll collection is, therefore, replacing staffed toll booths. Electronic toll collection (ETC) is a wireless system designed to automatically collect toll payments at toll roads, HOV lanes, toll bridges, and toll tunnels. It’s fast replacing toll booths to avoid manual toll payments with cash or a card. It finds wide applications at national highways and high-density roadway systems. In tune with the E-toll collection system, automatic fare collection (AFC) is extensively used to automate fare collection at entry and exit touch points of public transport networks like metro trains; and BRTS enabled buses and boats. Automatic fare collection is a complex framework of hardware and software deployed to allow cashless fare collection. Regardless of their intended applications, they have many advantages that you must know. An E-toll collection system saves the cost spent on hiring staff for toll booths. At the same time, it reduces transaction costs for government and private road owners. It’s an economical solution to collecting toll charges from commuters. Apart from being cost-effective, the electronic toll collectionmakes it easy to implement different charges included in the toll. It brings ease of payment. The commuters only need to sign up and load money into a declining-balance account, debited each time they pass a toll point. A proven advantage of E-toll collection or automated fare collection is that they are fast and efficient. As quick as a few taps on the screen, these systems don’t require drivers to stop their

2. vehicles at the toll booth. So, it helps save a substantial amount of time needed for manual toll payment. Moreover, it’s a contactless and cashless solution to toll payments or fares. Commuters don’t need to carry cash or a card while commuting. What is more notable is that it reduces the traffic load at the entrance/exit point. The toll plazas without contactless toll collection systems are busy dealing with commuters. It takes a lot of time and causes long queues of vehicles. The traffic sometimes becomes terrifying. The E-toll collectioncomes into operation here. It reduces the traffic load at the entrance point of the toll plaza. In the long lanes of toll payment, vehicles remain start as they move slowly towards the booth one after the other, which may cause extra fuel consumption and pollution increase in the environment. But, contactless toll collection ensures smooth traffic commutation, which results in reduced fuel consumption and pollution. Increased traffic, in some cases, becomes an apple of discord among commuters waiting in the toll lanes. E-toll collection is fast enough not to let them stop and fall into any unnecessary dispute. With contactless toll collection, commuters can say goodbye to long lines. Given these benefits, more and more toll plazas are deploying electronic toll collection systems.