Mobile phones demonstrated for toll collection with cameras in Turkey

Use of mobile phone messaging for toll collection has been demonstrated on the First Bosphorous toll bridge in Turkey. The system relies on video tolling plus the Short Message Service (SMS) that is commonly used on European standard GSM mobile telephones to make a toll payment. The text messaging also uploads the motorist's vehicle number plate and vehicle class to the toll operator.

The demonstration was organized by a Turkish system integrator and electronics firm Aset Bilisim. It made use of the Emporia brand electronic payment software system from Alphyra, the Dublin Ireland based company that has been a leader in systems to make payments by text messaging - for car parking, rental cars, gas, electricity, and other services. Alphyra's Payzone brand covers some 150k retail points and does 400m transactions a year.

Alphyra's toll payment software supports prepayment, accounts and postpayment with text messages, a website, call centers and kiosks. Alphyra systems are used as the basic toll management system for the Central London Congestion Charge.  Key to text message payments is making it very simple and intuitive for customers to use. In the text messaging toll payment the motorist texts in a license plate number and vehicle class to the toll system's text message telephone number which is displayed on signs on the approach road to the toll facility.

In the Bosphorus Toll bridge demonstration license plate numbers of cars without transponders are read by a PolicScan brand camera and optical character recognition system from the Weisbaden Germany based Vitronic which also supplied the vehicle classification system, brand TollCheckerAVC.

As part of the video toll system the license plate numbers are used as an account ID. In the text messaging by mobile phone the motorist gets a confirmation of "toll paid" once the transaction has cleared.

First Bosphorus Bridge

The First Bosphorus Bridge (FBB) is in Istanbul and is a suspension span linking what is called the European west of Turkey with the Asian east across the Bosphorus straits which provide the shipping channel from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.

Opened in 1973 the FBB is a classic suspension bridge. It has a central span of 1,074m (3,524ft), and total length with side spans is 1,560m (5,118ft). FBB is very similar in length to the George Washington Bridge NY-NJ 1931 with a main span of 1,067m (3,500ft).

The world's longest suspension span is the Akashi-Kaikyo Japan 1999 with a main span of 1,991m (6,529ft). In the US the Verrazano Narrows 1964 has a 1,298m (4,260ft) span and the Golden Gate Bridge 1937 a 1,280m (4,200ft) span.

The First Bosphorus Bridge has 2x3 lanes for vehicles and pedestrian sidewalks. It operates one contraflow lane for 4 lanes inbound to Istanbul on the west side mornings and the reverse evenings. Daily vehicle traffic averages 180k.

Pedestrians are now barred from using the bridge because of the record of suicide jumps.

Tolling is eastbound only, and conducted at a 13 lane toll plaza. Last year cash toll collection was ended and toll payment is by self-swipe magstripe card and by transponder only. Text messaging by mobile phone may be used to support video tolling following the demonstration.

A second Bosphorous bridge of 2x4 lanes named the Faith Sultan Bridge opened in 1988, also with tolls paid eastbound but from a toll plaza on the European side. Electronic tolling has been in use since 1999.

TOLLROADSnews 2007-05-17