Recently, the Ehuang Yangtze River Bridge completed the upgrade of payment services and officially launched the “contactless payment” service. Users can follow the “Yilu Xing” WeChat public account to open contactless payment and experience the smart travel method. “Contactless payment” is a localized application based on WeChat’s smart travel program, and it is also an innovative technology application that facilitates travel.
“Contactless Payment” can support the payment through “license plate”, which can save users’ time. And users don’t need to install any on-board equipment, recharge in advance, etc.
The “ contactless payment” system of Ehuang Bridge has been tested since August 1 and has been running safely and stably. Its advantages are obvious. Ehuangqiao officially used mobile payment in January this year. Traditional payment took an average of 10 to 20 seconds, while the ‘WeChat contactless payment’ only took an average of 1 to 3 seconds. Even under special weather conditions such as fog, it would not exceed 5 seconds. "
At present, more than 200 cars have experienced “WeChat Contactless Payment” at Ehuang Bridge. Drivers don’t need to take cash, tap the card, or scan the QR code. It not only lets the driver and passenger truly enjoy "more convenient, faster and safer" service, but also to a certain extent, reduce the work intensity of the toll collectors, and greatly improve the efficiency. As the first “WeChat contactless payment” site in Hubei Province, it will have positive significance for its promotion in Hubei.
“This payment method can solve the pain point of the owners queuing for too long, and provide a more convenient payment experience for the drivers and passengers." The person in charge of the Golong Contactless Payment Project believes that as an innovative measure of Internet intelligent traffic management, “Contactless Payment” can improve efficiency, alleviate congestion, and maximize the use of roads. At the same time, it will also contribute to the energy conservation and emission reduction of the whole society.
Once the “contactless payment” is fully popularized, it will reduce the operation and management costs of the expressway to a certain extent. Thus, it can provide the possibility to reduce the expenses of the drivers and passengers. In the early stage of operation, how to gain the trust of the drivers and passengers is a difficult problem that needs to be solved urgently by ‘WeChat Contactless Payment’. Expressway network toll collection is a huge project. As a new payment method, “WeChat Contactless Payment” conforms to the payment habits of different users, improves the service, and actively explores the in-depth integration and innovative development of new-generation information technology and toll collection.
Although the “contactless payment” based on license plate recognition is still in its infancy, and there are still areas that need to be optimized in the experience, we have already seen a bright future of “no parking, no card collection, and fast passing”. It is an advantageous addition to the ETC system and an exploration to adapt to the needs of individual users.