APPLICATION OF MIS @ TOLL PLAZA

Group No. – 13 (THIRTEEN)>

Abhra Bhattacharyya

Kumar Gaurav

Narendra Singh Rana

Vishaldeep Sharma

Vinay Kumar

Vivek Kant

ELECTRONIC TOLL COLLECTON

INTRODUCTION IN BRIEF:

Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) is a technology that allows for electronic payment of tolls. It is a technology that enables to determine if a car is registered in a toll payment program, alerts enforcers of toll payment violations, and debits the participating account.

ETC is fast becoming a globally accepted method of toll collection.ETC systems are an improvement over conventional toll collection techniques.

A toll collection system can be either open or closed.

Closed system: requires all entrances and exits to have an ETC system (as used in CT MALL, Gurgaon).

Open system: all toll plazas follow this system.

TECHNOLOGY IN BRIEF:

Type of Information System being used at toll plazas are Transaction processing systems which is a part of Operations support systems.

The main task of TPS here is to process data resulting from business transactions, update operational databases and produce business documents.

The technique used at DND flyway and at MAYUR VIHAR toll plaza is Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) enabled by Brazilian companyCOMPSIS.

The technique used atgurgaon/delhi toll plaza is Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) enabled by Austrian companyKAPSCH.

The technique used is basically for both software and hardware related tasks.

SICATCompany has enabled the software program for reading and fetching/entering data at DND toll plaza.

The transportation services used at toll plaza: ILFS (Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd) and ITNL (IL&FS Transportation Networks(India) Limited).

The construction tasks for all sorts of bridges and road were done by GAMMON Pvt. Ltd and ORIENTAL Pvt. Ltd., and the main idea behind this was given by one of the Japanese company called MITSUI.

Toll road has an underground loop detector for sensing the vehicle. It basically works on the pressure sensors fundamental.

The technique for sensors at the entrance of the DND flyway is basically pressure sensors and that at the MAYUR VIHAR toll plaza is Infrared sensors.

Infrared technology installed at MAYUR VIHAR toll plaza uses a circular radius spread for generating sensory.

The sensor for card user at DNDflyway as well as at Delhi/Gurgaon expressway is microwave technology whereas at MAYUR VIHARthey are using Infrared technology.

The operating system used at DND flyway is WindowsNT whereas at MYUR VIHAR is WindowsXP.

Mainly Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) technology uses three detection processes:

  1. Detection by height: In this detection method sensor reads the height of the vehicle from the distance and as per its height it classifies its class.

For class 2 vehicle height restriction is 1.97m

Whereas in case of class 3 vehicle it is 2.40m

  1. Detection by excel: in this method the rubber board installed just before the entrance counts excel or wheel of the vehicle and classifies it accordingly.
  2. Detection done manually: This is the extreme situation which is done when say any class 2 vehicle being overloaded enters into the class 2 lane but due to the height sensor it gets classified as class 3.

So in this case, the last judgment was done only by the man on duty at that time.

Toll plaza authority is proving that their technology is giving 99.95% accuracy.

COMPETITIVE STRATEGIES IN BRIEF:

Cost leadership strategy: definitely after the opening of various expressways, toll plazas themselves become a low-cost producer of their services provided and hence we can say that they follows a cost leadership strategy in their work methodology.

Differentiation strategy: toll plaza industry themselves are competing with each other say toll plaza at MayurVihar is having different technology compare to one having at DND flyway. So we can say that they are following a differentiation strategy to differentiate a firm’s products and services from its competitors.

Innovation strategy: finding new ways of doing business. Involves basically the development of unique products and services likewise as Delhi/Gurgaon express toll plaza have microwave technology which is somewhat advanced to that of infrared technology at MayurVihar. But inclusion of infrared technology will certainly add to their strategy as till date no one has included this in their services.

Growth strategy: Significantly expanding a company’s capacity to produce goods and services, expanding into global markets, diversifying new products and services or integrating into related products and services. As the toll plaza industry are giving their contract to various MNC’s for their current up-to-date projects like KAPSCH, SICAT, etc so we can say that they are somehow linked or attached with the growth strategy as well.

Alliance strategy: Establishing new business linkages and alliances with customers, suppliers, competitors, consultants and other companies. Definitely they are into alliance strategy as every new day they are converting their normal customers into tag users. And also their daily marketing purpose they are into linkage with many advertising as well as media companies.

DELHI GURGAON EXPRESSWAY:

World’s second largest toll plaza, processing more than 2lacs vehicles daily.

The construction company associated with Delhi Gurgaon expressway is M/s D.S.Construction Ltd.

Since the inception of Delhi Gurgaon expressway, the management have done around 70million transactions and on an average 2lakh transaction daily which is highest in India.

built at an estimated cost of 950crores, with the highest traffic density in India.

It has 7 flyovers spread across 27.7 km stretch which allow the commuters to travel from Delhi to Gurgaon in less than 20 minutes.

Have more than 80000 satisfied tag users in this expressway and close to 40% transaction have been done on ETC (electronic toll collection).

Have facilities like Visa an M-check for the recharges of tags and more on to that customers are extremely satisfied with the services which they are providing to them on this expressway.

Commuters can recharge their tags by sms, mobile and internet.

Special attentions have been made to the lighting in the expressway. With the help of 1400 poles they have achieved a very high level of illumination.

100% power backup has been provided with the help of 40 DG (diesel generators) sets.

Anti skid pavement design.

DSC (D.S.Constructions Ltd.) has claimed for some sort of improvements in the coming future like traffic enforcement cameras and weigh-in-motion to check the violations and the evasions of the traffic rules.

Till 2010, i.e. during Commonwealth games they are claiming to have extended plazas with more number of lanes servicing more number of customers.

24*7 deployment of world class safety standards.

Over 500 trained traffic marshals on ground.

Camera surveillance, lane segregation, round the clock patrolling.

They also provide employment to the weaker section of the society as DSC has linked them with salaam balak trust wherein they have employed more than 20 people in the last 1 year.

TIMING IN BRIEF:

The maximum stoppage time for any vehicle during peak hours is 3 minutes otherwise it is just a 30 seconds.

The peak hours for the vehicle at toll plaza:

@ Morning: 7am to 9 am

@ Evening: 5pm to 9pm

The barrier opening is at the hands of controller/supervisor and that is also for 30 sec, not barrier closing. Mean to say, it gets automatically closed if the vehicle did not get passed within the given time limit.

IN GENERAL:

The method used for check-in:

  1. Smart Pay
  2. Smart Tag

The smart Tag allows a motorist to travel non-stop through the toll plaza while the Smart Card ensures that the transaction is processed in minimum time.

Toll Rates:

Rate of fee per vehicle per trip (in rupees)
S. No. / Classification of vehicle / For vehicles going to IGI Airport / For vehicles crossing the Toll Plaza at Border only / For vehicles crossing the Toll Plaza at Km. 42 only
1 / Truck, 2 Axle / 36 / 54 / 68
2 / Bus, 2 Axle / 36 / 54 / 68
3 / Mini Bus / 18 / 26 / 34
4 / Light Commercial Vehicle / 18 / 26 / 34
5 / Car / 12 / 18 / 23
6 / Multi Axle Vehicle / 36 / 54 / 68

Toll plaza signage:

Orange Signage These lanes are provided to be used by a vehicle fitted with the Smart Tag.

Blue Signage These lanes are provided for vehicles that use a Smart Card. The motorist is required to stop and manually swipe the card.

Green Signage These lanes are lanes that accept cash from the motorist, the motorist will be required to stop and pay the toll.

Combination Signs These are a mixture of the colors above and if the colors are mixed all motorists entering these lanes will be required to stop and then pay.

Full Orange This is a fully non-stop Toll Lane, no cashier is provided in this lane. It is mean specifically for Smart Tag Vehicles.

Two technology are mainly used for motorist:

  1. Silver lane:it is basically on the principle of TNG(touch and go) where motorist have to wait for the moment to pay the cash and to pass the boom (barrier).

It costs nearly 1075/-.

  1. Gold lane: here the principle used is OBU(on board unit) where a tag is placed at the windshield of the car which gets sensed by the technology. The major distance for the vehicle to be sensed is 17m in radius.

It costs nearly 3500/-.

Special case: if any gold lane user gets stuck in between the transaction process then he has to go via silver lane. This can be happen in the three cases below:

  1. It the reader is not able to sense the card.
  2. If the battery (Duracell) of the card gets weak.
  3. If the recharge or money of the card gets over.

An ETC system typically includes four components:

  1. Automatic vehicle identification (AVI) entails the use of electronic radio frequency tags installed in the vehicle. The tags either passively or actively communicate with roadside readers to identify vehicle ownership. Once ownership is determined, the toll cost can be deducted from the corresponding account.
  2. Automatic vehicle classification (AVC) technologies installed in the roadway can determine a vehicles class by its physical attributes.
  3. Transaction processing is the process of debiting customers accounts and answering customer inquiries.
  4. There are several methods used for violation enforcement, includingautomatic number plate recognition (ANPR)technology.

Toll plaza authority does not provide any concession for motorist (except two wheeler) whatsoever is the case i.e., if they are a cash user or a tag user.

For two wheeler users they(DND and MAYUR VIHAR toll plaza) provide concessionof Re 1/-only for those who use tag system but for those who did not use tag no concession is there. But at gurgaon/delhi toll plaza there is no charge for them.

Technical terms used for some of the device used at toll plaza:

  1. Barrier – BOOM
  2. Cement foot just after and before the entrance and exit – BULL NOSE
  3. Toll plaza booth – BULL BARRIER
  4. Divider – MEDIAN

The inclusion of RFID technology is soon in the charts of all the toll plazas which is a major advantage over this ETC technology. It can be active as well as passive. But they are thinking to include the passive technology into their plazas.

ADVANTAGES IN BRIEF:

99.95% accuracy as said by toll plaza authority.

Vehicles equipped with ETC require less time than all other vehicles to conduct a toll transaction.

An increase in a toll lane service rate causes a decrease in the average waiting time of vehicles at the toll plaza.

Vehicle emissions are reduced because vehicle speeds through the toll plaza are increased and accelerations and decelerations reduced.

ETC requires far less roadside infrastructure than manual tollbooths.

DISADVANTAGES IN BRIEF:

The technology is becoming somewhat low advanced as because of RFID technology in existence.

In this technology, for a card holder recharge problem is there.

This technology has to be imported from outside.

Cost is the other factor i.e., installation plus renovation cost is too high.

TIME SLOT WHEN WE VISITED there is a non-peak hour i.e., between 11am to 1pm.

And during that time we didn’t find much traffic or say long queues of motors as we generally find during peak hours say morning and evening hrs.

SUGGESTIONS:

They should implement morenumber of fences at the junction of expressway and normal way where lots of two-wheelers try to enter into the expressway.In other parts of Delhi, these fences are often broken or cut due to whichlarge number of pedestrian and two-wheeler drivers causing fatal accidents.

More on to that they should appoint tight security at these junctions so that no one can harm these fences and try to escape from there.

They should provide more subways during the expressway as most of the time the pedestrians have no choice, but to cross the road at their own risk. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had promised the construction of some overbridges for the benefit of the pedestrians, but none have been erected yet.

Besides, there are no warning signs, or speed limit indicators, on the road. That again is one of the reasons for so many accidents.

They should provide an immediate hospitality service whenever any accident took place. Say a regular ambulance facility. This can be done if they tie-up with some health care societies.

Management should also have to think in increasing the number of lanes as well as more overbridges as the expressway itself sometimes becomes a normal way due to huge number of traffic-jams.