China’s equivalent to RFID’s roll-out was equally bad, here’s how it was handled
Eric · Jan 21, 2022 04:45 PM
0
0
On the topic of cashless toll collection, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), by now most Malaysians are aware of the hiccups faced by highway users. But did you know, China’s roll-out of its equivalent to our RFID, called ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) system was also far from a smooth ride?
Since its deployment in 2020, almost 66 percent of China's highway users adopted RFID.
A year later in 2021, China has more than 300 million cars on their roads. Out of which, more than 200 million of those cars are already ETC-compatible, translating into a 66.7 percent adoption rate.
To kickstart its ETC ambitions, China began eliminating all 487 physical toll boots on 1-January 2020, deploying the ETC system on its 140,000 km highway network.
It was a rough start
Very much like PLUS' roll-out of the RFID system at their toll plazas, Chinese highway users also faced “systemic problems”, whereby some ETC readers failed to read the ETC cards, resulting in long queues at toll plazas.
The photo above is an excellent representation of the early days of China's ETC roll-out: reversing out of an ETC lane because of an error.
Needless to say, congestions at toll plazas during the early days of China's RFID implementation is a common sight.
But it wasn’t just long queues that Chinese highway users had to deal with – there were also cases of drivers that were overcharged, as the ETC system linked to their respective bank accounts deducted their balance without notifying the drivers for days, even weeks.
Authorities warned to not allow traffic jams at toll boots extend beyond 500m
Unlike PLUS that congratulated themselves despite the less-than-ideal roll-out of their system, China’s Ministry of Transport organized a press conference and offered technical solutions for their ETC users.
China's Ministry of Transport had to work together with the provincial transport authorities and toll plazas across the country to establish a 24-hour monitoring system.
If they spot a traffic congestion that’s more than 500 meters long, local authorities will step in to ease the jam.
As for the overcharge issue, the Ministry of Transport set up working groups to solve the refund issues, as well as assisting those facing other ETC-related issues.
Cheaper tolls for ETC users
In an effort to promote the usage of ETC, the state government promoted the usage of ETC heavily via media outlets, as well as requiring various agencies to work together, including local governments and state-owned banks to cooperate. The banks also offered various discounts and incentives for users to adopt ETC, as well as offering the on-board unit (OBU) for free.
To further encourage the adoption of ETC in China, users were also given a 5 percent discount off their highway charges. In fact, some banks are even offering a 10 percent discount off the highway charges, which definitely accelerated the adoption of ETC in China.
No monopoly of e-Wallets, users can choose payment options
Speaking of bank account, China’s ETC system isn’t monopolized by a single payment system (our RFID system is monopolized by Touch n Go), users can opt to use either AliPay or WeChat to link up to their ETC system.
Both AliPay and WeChat are hooked up to the user's bank account, so there's no need for reloading their account.
ETC reader comes built-in on Chinese cars
China’s state government has also promoted the development of manufacturer-fitted ETC, whereby car manufacturers are required to offer a manufacturer-fitted ETC solution in their vehicles.
Apart from the ETC device, some manufacturers also offer the option of an On-Board Device (OBU), similar to our SmartTag device. Unlike our battery-powered SmartTag, their OBU / ETC device is powered by solar, as shown in the photo above.
Furthermore, another reason that eased China’s roll-out of their ETC system is their standardized number plate, making number plate recognition less of a headache.
Keep in mind that China's number plate has its Chinese state as the first character, which isn't an easy feat by any mean.
Over in Malaysia, there has been lots of talk about standardizing number plates here, but no one has been able to provide a solution.
ETC also used for cashless parking
Apart from highways, China's ETC system is also deployed in various car parks, as there are number plate recognition cameras fitted to car park entrances and exits that scan the car's number plate.
Just like toll plazas, parking fees are directly deducted from the driver's bank account.
Parking tickets are a thing of the past.
Over here, Touch 'n Go is widely accepted at most car parks, but there is a downside. A year ago, Touch 'n Go said that the surcharge would be removed, but as of March 2021, some car parks have yet to remove the surchrage.
Don't even think about RFID; this one is strictly for highways only. We've yet to see a single car park that accepts RFID.
Why not consolidate both into one simple solution like China?
What about barrier-less MLFF?
While countries like Singapore and Taiwan have successfully deployed barrier-less Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF), China has yet to deploy this technology on a wide scale.
Thus far, China's MLFF system is still in an early stage, deployed in cities like Wuhan and Jiangxi.
Started from the IT industry but somehow managed to find his way into the automotive industry. If he’s not gaming, he’s constantly tinkering with his daily/weekend car.