Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority Awards TransCore A
Five-Year Contract Extension to Expand Toll System
Orders Additional 500k RFID eGo Tags
HARRISBURG, Pa. (Business Wire EON/PRWEB ) September 18, 2007 --
The Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority (PRHTA) awarded TransCore
a five-year extension to the current contract with two optional
extensions for an additional five years. With the 500,000 radio
frequency identification (RFID) eGo®
batteryless windshield sticker tags delivered through this agreement,
there will be more than one million tags in use in Puerto Rico on
virtually half of all the vehicles on the island.
The multimillion-dollar extension will support expansion of the
AutoExpreso toll collection system including customer service center
operations, violation enforcement, maintenance, and the introduction of
dedicated lanes at each toll plaza so motorists can purchase tags and
replenish accounts right when they need it. This new process accentuates
consumer convenience bringing additional service points directly to the
toll-paying customer.
Dr. Carlos J. Gonzalez, Secretary of Transportation for the Puerto Rico
Highway and Transportation Authority, explained, “Now
that the advantages of AutoExpreso are proven, it is essential to
expand AutoExpreso to more points on the island and make it
easier to obtain tags and replenish accounts, especially for the largely
cash-based society. As an incentive for motorists to shift from paying
by cash to paying wirelessly, AutoExpreso users will now obtain a
$0.05 discount on all toll fares.”
Puerto Rico’s AutoExpreso electronic
toll collection system, launched in 2004, surpassed expectations at
a rapid pace few anticipated. In less than three years, the five-year
tag goal to deploy 300,000 RFID tags was met with tag sales now
exceeding half a million. Throughout the island Puerto Rico has five
tolled expressways, covering nearly 200 miles, with 26 toll plazas and
198 lanes. Today, approximately 35 percent of all toll transactions are
paid wirelessly with more than 65 percent during peak hours.
The PRHTA and TransCore expect that with the expansion of work covered
by this extension and combining the in-lane access with discounts for
tolls paid via AutoExpreso, electronic payments will capture a
significantly higher portion of the paid tolls, further reducing costs
to the PRHTA. By 2008, PRHTA’s goal is to make
electronic toll payments available island-wide with every toll plaza
equipped with dedicated AutoExpreso lanes.
TransCore will begin implementation of the multi-faceted project to meet
PRHTA’s objectives of reducing congestion,
increasing safety, lessening pollution and enhancing convenience for the
driving public. Changes include AutoExpreso expansion to 4 more
toll plazas while adding to the network or converting 21 new high-speed
express lanes, adding 12 standard AutoExpreso lanes, and
introducing 13 lanes dedicated exclusively for in-lane tag sales and
account replenishment. This first-of-a-kind in-lane sales and
replenishment capability enables motorists to deposit funds into their
accounts using cash, debit or credit cards while passing through a toll
plaza.
Dave Sparks, executive vice president of TransCore added, “We
are excited about this endorsement of TransCore’s
technology and operational expertise, and look forward to continuing to
support the PRHTA and its strategy to improve mobility and convenience
for Puerto Rican commuters.”
About TransCore
With products and installations in 46 countries, more than 100 patents
worldwide, and pioneering applications of RFID
and satellite communications technologies, TransCore's expertise is
unparalleled in the markets it serves. In 2007, Engineering
News-Record (ENR) ranked TransCore No. 60 out of the Top 500
Design Firms and No. 11 for firms that specialize in transportation.
TransCore’s extensive global experience with
tolling systems includes more than 7,400 installed electronic toll
collection lanes worldwide and 22 customer service centers. TransCore
offers an extensive suite of enterprise software applications, business
process outsourcing, system integration, and maintenance services to
provide complete solutions configurable to customers’
requirements.
TransCore operates as a unit of Roper
Industries, a market-driven, diversified growth company with 2006
revenues of $1.7 billion and a market capitalization exceeding $5
billion. Roper is a component of the S&P Mid-Cap 400, Fortune 1000 and
Russell 1000 Indexes and was ranked as one of the fastest growing
technology companies by Business 2.0 Magazine.
For more information, visit www.transcore.com.
See the original story at: http://eon.businesswire.com/releases/autoexpreso/transcore/prweb554614.htm
Post Comment:
Trackback URL: http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/SW5zZS1NYWduLUluc2UtTWFnbi1UaGlyLVplcm8=
Bookmark -
Del.icio.us |
Furl It |
Technorati |
Ask |
MyWeb |
Propeller |
Live Bookmarks |
Newsvine |
TailRank |
Reddit |
Slashdot |
Digg |
Stumbleupon |
Google Bookmarks |
Sphere |
Blink It |
Spurl
|
