San Miguel Corp. (SMC) Infrastructure has equipped all its toll plazas with artificial intelligence (AI) — enabled automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) cameras — a key step toward implementing barrier-free toll collection across its 220-kilometer expressway network.  

SMC chairperson and CEO Ramon S. Ang said on Friday the company has installed 522 ALPR cameras across its toll plazas and gantries to support the government’s push for seamless toll operations.  

“All of our toll plazas and gantries are equipped with ALPR cameras, which support our RFID antennas, reading 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 the correct toll is debited from motorists’ Autosweep wallets,” Ang said.

Faster, efficient travel

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

The ALPR system works alongside the existing Autosweep RFID electronic toll collection system, designed to improve vehicle throughput and minimize congestion. 

Each toll lane is now equipped with both an ALPR camera and an RFID scanner to read vehicle data from a distance. The information is then processed by AI servers, enabling faster and more accurate toll collection.  

Ang noted that while RFID remains the primary toll collection method, the ALPR cameras serve as an additional layer of validation.  

“There are still a number of key milestones that the 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.  

The new system has been undergoing pilot testing since last year along the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and the at-grade section of the Skyway System, with barriers lifted to simulate barrier-less tolling. This initiative has also helped address concerns from local government units about traffic congestion near toll plazas.  

SMC Infrastructure operates major tollways, including the Skyway System and NAIA Expressway in Metro Manila; the SLEX and STAR Tollway in the Calabarzon Region; and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway, which connects Central Luzon to Northern Luzon and the Cordillera region.