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By: Bhargav Chebrolu.
Research Scholar, MS SCM, The University of Texas at Dallas Dallas, USA
Abstract
Rapid urban growth and the steady rise in the number of vehicles have made congestion at highway
toll plazas a persistent and costly problem. Long queues at toll booths not only waste travelers’ time
but also increase fuel consumption, air pollution, and overall operating costs of the transport system.
Traditional manual toll collection methods contribute significantly to these delays, as vehicles are
required to stop for cash or card-based transactions. To address these challenges, Intelligent
Transportation Systems (ITS), particularly Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)–based Electronic
Toll Collection (ETC), have gained widespread attention. This study evaluates the real-world
performance of an RFID-based toll collection system at the Ban Toll Plaza on the Jammu–Udhampur
Highway (NH-14) in India. The analysis focuses on peak traffic periods, representing the most
congested operating conditions. Vehicle halt times under manual tolling were measured through on-
site observations and automated sensors over a 30-day period, while RFID transaction data were
obtained from comparable toll plazas with established ETC systems. Statistical techniques, including
paired t-tests and queuing theory models, were used to assess differences in processing time, queue
length, and delay between manual and RFID systems. The results clearly demonstrate the advantages
of RFID implementation. Average vehicle halt time dropped from 43.2 seconds under manual toll
collection to just 3.4 seconds with RFID, reflecting a 92.1% improvement in processing efficiency.
Queue lengths and waiting times were also dramatically reduced, with peak-hour queues shrinking
from about 20 vehicles to only 4 vehicles. These operational improvements led to notable
environmental benefits, including annual fuel savings of more than 58,000 liters and a reduction of
approximately 142 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. From an economic perspective, the
system showed strong viability, achieving a benefit–cost ratio greater than 7:1 and recovering
implementation costs within six months.Overall, the study shows that RFID-based electronic toll
collection can significantly improve traffic flow, reduce environmental impacts, and deliver
substantial economic benefits. Despite minor challenges such as occasional tag read failures, the
findings strongly support wider adoption of RFID tolling as a practical and sustainable solution for
modern highway transportation systems.
Citation:
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