SMC Tollways Now Have AI-Enabled License Plate Recognition Cameras

​SMC Infrastructure said it has finished equipping all of its operational toll gates with artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras, paving the way for barrier-less toll plazas across its expressway network.

San Miguel Corporation (SMC) chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang stated that, in accordance with government orders, the company's infrastructure arm has already deployed 522 ALPR cameras at all toll plazas and gantries across the 220-kilometer expressway network it operates.

The special cameras are intended to boost vehicle throughput by enhancing the existing Autosweep radio frequency identification (RFID) electronic toll collection system.

“All of our toll plazas and gantries are equipped with ALPR cameras, which support our RFID antennas, which read the account information of motorists. With help from artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, our ALPR cameras cross-match motorist information from RFID tags to ensure customer data is accurate, and correct toll is debited from motorists’ Autosweep wallets,” explained Ang.

From this point on, all our new expressway projects will include ALPR cameras in their design.”

Ang stated that SMC Infra's Autosweep team has long worked to enhance the current technology. 
 
“We credit our hardworking software engineers and developers who have continued to refine our Autosweep system. Our AI-powered Autosweep is proof that our Filipino software developers and engineers can excel anywhere, given the right opportunity and environment for them to create groundbreaking IT solutions,” Ang added.

Ang stated that the ALPR cameras will act as a backup for validation across SMC's expressway network, with RFID antennas and tags remaining the primary means of collecting tolls from cars. 

With the latest technology in place, each lane at toll plazas throughout SMC's 220-kilometer expressway network will have an ALPR camera and an RFID scanner, which will begin reading vehicle information from a distance. 

The vehicle information will then be sent to servers, where AI will cross-match it, ensuring correctness and allowing quicker throughput. 

“There are still a number of key milestones that government needs to reach before full implementation of barrier-less expressways. But essentially, in line with government mandates, we’ve made the necessary investment and our barrier-less system is already physically in place and ready to be used at any time,” Ang said.

In fact, Ang stated that the whole stretch of the South Luzon Expressway, including the at-grade section of the Skyway System, began initial testing of the system by installing "barriers up" at toll plazas as early as last year. 

He said that this has also assisted the toll operator in addressing local government complaints about traffic congestion on expressway access roads as a result of increasing vehicle volume and economic activity. 

“Our host LGUs had been seeking our help to reduce traffic congestion at entry points along SLEX. Through pilot-testing of the ALPR cameras, we have been able to address their concern. We’ve reduced the need for motorists to fully stop at toll plazas,” Ang said. 

“Our expressway network does not operate in a vacuum. They are part of our country’s wider road network. Congestion at toll roads can affect traffic on public roads, and vice versa. That is why it’s important that we continue to work with LGUs and all stakeholders.”

Ang also expressed gratitude to the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) and the Department of Transportation (DoTR) for developing rules that allow for more efficient traffic on expressways.
 
“SMC remains committed to investing in our expressway network, so they can be at par with the best in the world, and with the hope that continuous upgrades and expansion will sustain our country’s economic growth,” Ang said.
​
SMC Infrastructure's subsidiaries hold concessions to operate and maintain tollways such as the Skyway System and NAIA Expressway in Metro Manila; SLEX and STAR Tollway in the Calabarzon Region; and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), which connects Central and Northern Luzon and serves as the gateway to the Cordillera Administrative Region.