Is RFID really the way forward?

 

The reduction of SmartTag lanes in favour of RFID caused chaos at many toll plazas over the last weekend. (PLUS pic)

PETALING JAYA: Recently, social media was flooded with pictures of congestion at toll booths and complaints about the RFID payment system which came into effect along the North-South Expressway (NSE).

When it was first announced in 2017, then works minister Fadillah Yusof said the RFID toll payment system by Touch ’n Go and PLUS was aimed at easing traffic congestion.

Initially, only 17 RFID toll lanes were opened to test out the new system on highways like New Pantai Expressway (NPE) and Guthrie Corridor Expressway.

However, the recent chaos at the toll plazas along the NSE has raised several questions about the RFID.

FMT takes a closer look at the RFID issue.

What is RFID?

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is a form of wireless communication where digital data is encoded in a tag or label that is captured by a reader via radio waves.

Transport consultant Rosli Azad Khan said that it is similar to a barcode reader on products, or a label captured by a reader device in a supermarket.

The system uses a sticker embedded with a radio frequency chip which is fixed on the headlights or windscreen of the vehicle.

“Each RFID sticker is unique and can only be registered for one vehicle,” he said.

How does the RFID system work?

As a vehicle passes through the toll, an overhead scanner will read the radio frequency from the RFID sticker and charge the toll fare.

The chip will be linked to the user’s Touch ‘n Go eWallet from which the fare will be deducted from the eWallet balance.

Apart from online payment methods for the toll charges, offline payment is also possible via a PIN code sent to mobile devices.

Is the RFID system better?

While only introduced in Malaysia in 2018, RFID is not a new technology and has already been in use in many countries for up to two decades.

For instance, Singapore’s Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) tolls have utilised RFID technology since 1998. The need for ERP on the island was due to its size and as a way to reduce congestion in the city centre.

However, Rosli said RFID may not be suitable to be used for Malaysian traffic because vehicles still need to slow down to be scanned so there is no advantage to it compared with the SmartTag reader.

In fact, the public’s main issue with the RFID system was that the reader at the toll booths was slow in detecting the RFID sticker and thus caused congestion.

Rosli also said that exposure to extreme weather conditions can adversely impact the RFID chip.

A better option

Ultimately, the use of RFID is an attempt to bring highway motorists one step closer to gantry-less multi-lane free-flow (MLFF) toll collection.

This system does not require toll booths along highways, facilitating traffic flow. It involves the use of video and automatic licence plate recognition.

Countries across Europe, as well as Japan, Australia and Turkey have transitioned to using the MLFF system.

But a barrier-free toll cannot happen in Malaysia unless there is an enforcement of standardised plates.

Although Singapore has yet to adopt the MLFF system, they have already planted several Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras in their overhead gantry that bill owners of cars with an insufficient credit balance, easing traffic on the island.

“RFID has limited usage. MLFF system has proven to be more effective in reducing traffic and Malaysia needs to head in that direction,” Rosli said. - FMT