–prepaid option being explored

OVER 600 vehicles have registered thus far for the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB)’s automated toll system, and the authorities are exploring alternatives, whereby people can sign up for a prepaid option instead of with their Mobile Money Guyana (MMG) account.

This is according to DHB General Manager Wayne Watson, who told the Sunday Chronicle that the registered vehicles thus far represent a mix of private, government and private sector-owned mode of transportation.
He noted that the $15M automated toll system, which was implemented in two phases, saw over 460 vehicles being registered from the business community and government agencies.

A total of 200 vehicles were registered in just under two weeks by members of the public during Phase Two.
This newly-implemented system, once fully operationalised, is expected to significantly ease congestion at the Demerara Harbour Bridge.

Explaining how the process is intended to work, Watson said commuters will only be required to pay their toll via a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, which will be placed on the front of their vehicles, and on their mobile phones.

Bridge commuters, he said, will be registered to a database, and they will need to have funds in their MMG account.

The magnetic RFID tag, he explained, will be placed on the vehicle, and when it approaches the toll station on the eastern end of the bridge, the system’s sensors will identify the commuter’s vehicle, using the tag, and the toll will be deducted automatically.

He noted that with this system, different tags will be created for different types of vehicles, whether car, truck or van.
He explained that the plan is to have 1,500 vehicles registered in the first phase of this open registration period.

OPTIONS BEING EXPLORED
Even as the systems currently rely solely on the use of MMG to make payments, Watson told the Sunday Chronicle that other options are currently being explored to ensure a wider section of the population can access the service.

He stated that management of the Harbour Bridge is currently engaging the software development team to assess the viability of setting up a prepaid system that could see persons making payments directly to the Harbour Bridge Corporation on a monthly basis.

“We are talking to the software developer to provide alternative options; we are assessing the viability of persons coming in, and if they want, they can pay directly to the Harbour Bridge [about] $1,000 [or] $2,000.

“Companies can put $30,000 in their wallet, and it goes straight to the account and they use that. We recognise that some Guyanese are not that tech-savvy, and they still don’t want to get involved for money transactions,” Watson emphasised.

The General Manager sought to remind the public that while this new system is being implemented, toll booth operators will have the option of utilising the cash-based system for drivers without the RFID tag, or any driver who simply wishes to pay with cash.