Smartcard developed for toll road users<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In a bid to improve its service to users, state-
\nowned tollroad operator PT Jasa Marga plans to introduce a new
\ncard for drivers to use to pass through tollgates, an official
\nsaid on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Operational director Marijanto told reporters on Saturday
\nthat, by using the card, drivers should expect to spend just one-
\nand-a-half seconds at the tollgates, which is four-and-a-half
\nseconds less than the current system. \"Hopefully, there will be
\nno car queue at the gates\", he said.<\/p>\n
Drivers who don't want to use the card can still buy regular
\ntickets at tollbooths.<\/p>\n
The company, in cooperation with Bank Exim, had previously
\nlaunched a similar card, like a credit card, Marijanto said.
\n\"Drivers had to slide the card through the machines made
\navailable at the booths.\" However, this kind of card failed to
\ngain popularity.<\/p>\n
\"We will try the new service around Greater Jakarta this
\ncoming November, particularly on the highway leading to Soekarno-
\nHatta International Airport,\" he said. \"But the official
\nlaunching of the card will be early next year.\"<\/p>\n
The new card will cost at least Rp 50,000 and will also
\nfunction as a debit card. \"This means that each time the card is
\nused the value will decrease as much as the toll. And the owner
\nwill be able to refill the card like a cellular phone prepaid
\ncard,\" Marijanto told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
When using the card, called Contactless Smartcard, drivers do
\nnot need to make any contact with tollbooth attendants, or card
\nmachines at the gates. \"Drivers just need to insert the card into
\na machine located half-a-meter from the tollgate and everything
\nis processed automatically,\" said Marijanto.<\/p>\n
The company would invest a total of Rp 30 billion for the
\nproduction of the cards and the machines as well as the
\ninstallment of the new system, he added.<\/p>\n
Marijanto noted that as many as 20,000 cards would initially
\nbe made available. \"Should the demand for the cards increase, we
\nwill produce more cards.\"<\/p>\n
Profit<\/p>\n
In a related development, the company director of development
\nand commercial, Frans S. Sunito, revealed that only five of 13
\ntollroads managed by PT Jasa Marga made a profit.<\/p>\n
\"The lucrative highways, which have more than 50,000 cars
\nusing them everyday are the Jagorawi, the Jakarta-West Tangerang
\nand the Prof. Sedyatmo Tollroad leading to Soekarno-Hatta
\nAirport, the Jakarta-Cikampek and the Surabaya-Gempol highways.\"<\/p>\n
All the other tollroads were used by less than 10,000 cars
\neveryday, he said.<\/p>\n
Separately, president director of PT Jasa Marga Syarifuddin
\nAlambai said that the government was still discussing the
\nproposal of increasing the tariff for tollroads, which had been
\nrefused by the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
The hike would be between 17 and 50 percent.<\/p>\n
\"The revised proposal will be submitted to the House in
\nSeptember,\" Syarifuddin said.<\/p>\n
He said the company needed more money to improve its service
\nto tollroad users and to build new highways. (04)<\/p>",
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