The Tollgates are Going Crazy

In the Philippines, the tollgates at major expressways are abandoning cash payments in favor of RFID stickers, as part of a bid to automate its toll collection system. But so far, things are not going well. Traffic has been worse since the implementation on December 1st, as some vehicles form a queue to get their stickers done.

Automation is good because technology brings about convenience in our daily lives. Technological advancements should make systems and processes faster, that is why automation becomes a part of CAPEX in a bid to cut waiting time at the toll booth. But sometimes, the same technology becomes counter-productive because instead of making faster transactions, the system just isn't reliable, and waiting time has worsen up.

The system that they replaced allowed for both cash payments and a cashless platform called EC Trip. This seems to be working well, because not all vehicles are regularly passing through the thoroughfares, and getting an RFID sticker just to pass the road just once a year seems to be impractical.

In fact, the operators of expressways dispatch ambulant tellers when there is a big holiday coming up, like All Saints Day, Holy Week, Christmas and New Year. Totally deleting the cash lanes at the toll booth not only is unsound but seems downright stupid. The people who have thought of this must matriculate on a course on time and motion study, and reevaluate their priorities in life.

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Picture from Pixabay.