NLEX Corporation, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, on Wednesday announced a P1.4 billion investment to upgrade its toll systems, streamline its toll transactions and improve customer experience. This development is expected to have a substantial impact on corporate finance and daily commuters alike.
As part of the investment, the company will install automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras across all 315 toll lanes. Currently, only 77 lanes are equipped with ALPR technology capturing license plate data at barrierless plazas. This will help track vehicles without RFID tags or with insufficient balances, ensuring smoother toll transactions and reducing congestion.
MariaTheresa Wells, NLEX Corporation’s office-In-charge and chief finance officer, emphasized the company’s commitment to world-class service, noting that benchmarking against global technologies would increase accessibility and convenience for motorists using the NLEX, SCTEX, and NLEX Connector.
Additional upgrades include the conversion of 127 RFID antennas to high-frequency versions, which can read RFID stickers more efficiently and improve transaction times. These antennas will also allow for the detection of up to three vehicles in advance, streamlining toll lane processing. The overall goal is to reach a 98 percent RFID readability rate and ensure that vehicles are detected in less than a second for all classes of vehicles.
To further enhance the safety of motorists, NLEX is investing in additional speed cameras to strengthen traffic law enforcement. These measures complement the toll system upgrades by helping mitigate the risks associated with speeding. The company is also replacing toll lane computers and implementing advanced systems like the Plaza Computer System (PCS) and Video Enhancement System (VES) servers at NLEX and SCTEX.
These efforts align with NLEX’s mission to provide a more efficient, safe, and convenient toll experience, benefiting both commuters and corporate operations by reducing delays and improving traffic flow.
