TransCore, the original technology pioneer that developed both systems, has been contracted to provide the radio frequency identification (RFID) hardware necessary to allow TollTag and EZ TAG users to benefit from wireless toll transactions on either authority's roads. The plan will enable seamless access across four major metropolitan toll roads spanning hundreds of miles. It will also create a critical mass of over two million Texas motorists who use the same type of electronic toll technology.
“We view interoperability as the best way to create efficiency and maximize motorist convenience”
The Houston-D/FW interoperability project has special significance given the transportation environment in Texas. Gov. Rick Perry's long-term plans for a Trans Texas Corridor and Texas House Bill 3588, passed in June 2003, have given extra momentum to toll road growth in Texas, both to relieve congestion in metropolitan areas and to speed transit from point-to-point across the state. As the network of toll roads grows in Texas, interoperability will become an important issue with motorists who want to use one tag to travel in many parts of the state.
The Trans Texas Corridor calls for 4,000 miles of new transit corridors that will bundle roads, railways and utility and information technology lines. Including toll roads as part of the corridor mix is seen as an important method of financing the project. One of the four high-priority segments of the corridor will parallel I-45, linking Houston to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In addition, new Regional Mobility Authorities are initiating projects to enhance transit in fast-growth areas.
"We view interoperability as the best way to create efficiency and maximize motorist convenience," said John Worthington, TransCore president and chief executive officer. "We've been fortunate enough to see wireless RFID use spread internationally as well as in these two major Texas cities, enabling strong foundations for regional planning and cooperation to develop."
The RFID technology employed by NTTA and HCTRA was originally developed by five scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory for two divisions of the federal government. The Department of Energy needed an application to track vehicles and nuclear materials and the Department of Agriculture wanted to track cattle. Today, TransCore's ISO-9001-certified manufacturing facility in Albuquerque, N.M. boasts an annual production capacity of 5 million tags and 10,000 readers. The company has distributed more than 15 million tags and more than 32,000 readers worldwide for transportation applications.
NTTA was the first nationally to adopt wireless electronic toll collection almost 14 years ago. Since then, the technology's use has expanded around the world and is deployed in various applications in 39 countries. In addition to the agreement with HCTRA, NTTA is also pioneering local interoperability between different types of RFID applications for the convenience of its customers. Beginning this month, NTTA's customers will be able to use their TollTags at DFW International Airport for pass through and terminal parking and be billed to their existing TollTag accounts. RFID-based electronic toll collection is the most obvious and successful example of mobile commerce and provides an excellent technology platform for expanding motorist services. In a related effort, TransCore created a pilot program with several Dallas-area McDonald's in 2002, allowing customers to pay for food using their TollTag transponder.
About TransCore
TransCore is a leader in ground transportation management systems and is the largest global manufacturer of transportation-based radio frequency identification products. TransCore also specializes in providing applications for toll violation enforcement, traffic law enforcement, access control, heightened security at border crossings, ports and trade zones, and more. TransCore's experience in ETC, toll customer service and toll violation processing is extensive, including other projects with some the largest toll authorities in the world, including the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, Denver's E-470 Public Highway Authority, Delaware Department of Transportation, Florida Department of Transportation, Mass Turnpike, Pennsylvania Turnpike, Virginia Department of Transportation and the New York City Department of Transportation, as well as installations in Puerto Rico, Canada, Argentina and the Philippines.
TransCore is a privately held transportation services company with 1,800 employees and more than 80 locations throughout the world. With installations in 39 countries, 80-plus patents and a world-class manufacturing facility, TransCore's expertise in providing system-based applications that improve transportation efficiency is unparalleled. For more information, visit www.transcore.com.
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