This E-Pass unit is a radio device that allows the user to skip long queues at tollbooths thanks to electronic “handshakes” between the device (attached on a vehicle’s windshield) and the entry and exit points of the tollroad.
Biz Buzz learned that the owner of the Skyway system—San Miguel Corp.—has begun to phase out the E-Pass in favor of a more efficient and effective system.
For one, we learned that the current database, which the conglomerate inherited when it acquired the company that operates the E-Pass system, is somewhat of a mess. Of the 150,000 registered E-Pass users, only around 75,000 are active, while the rest… well, their status is unknown. It is unclear whether they’ve dropped off the database because the devices are no longer being used, if they’ve been damaged, if they’ve run out of prepaid tollroad credits, or have simply run out of batteries.
San Miguel’s solution to the problem is a new Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) scheme which will be issued soon to replace the creaking E-Pass system.
Unlike the E-Pass which is a rectangular piece of plastic that must be attached to vehicles, we learned that the RFID system will come in the form of an unobtrusive windshield sticker with an embedded chip that can be read by tollbooth sensors.
For Skyway motorists, they will no longer have to stop at tollbooths, but will merely have to slow down slightly. In fact, we understand that the system will be able to capture vehicle transits even at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour, especially since it will be used in conjunction with a plate number-reading scanner.
The system is already being pilot-tested and is set to be rolled out to the mass market next month.
And here’s the clincher: While the E-Pass cost the user P2,000 per device when it was introduced (before it was offered at a discount just before it was discontinued), the RFID sticker would be given to motorists for zero pesos, upon registration. That’s right, for free.–Daxim L. Lucas
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