Brazil’s Rio-Santos Highway Implements RFID Tolling System

Jan 24, 2023Ed. Note: This article was previously posted at IoP Journal.

In March 2023, the first toll-collection points with the Free Flow system are slated to begin operating in Brazil, on the nation's Rio-Santos highway, BR-101, between the cities of Ubatuba and Rio de Janeiro. That stretch of highway, under the concession of CCR Group, will employ technologies from Austrian company Kapsch TrafficCom.

The Free Flow system eliminates the need for toll booths, which require vehicles to stop to pay tolls. The solution instead registers cars as they pass through portals equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. This type of system, according to Kapsch TrafficCom, is widely established in Europe and the United States, where toll booths are fast becoming obsolete. It is also deployed in Australia and Asia.

"In Latin America, we actively participated in the concession program in Chile with our Free Flow toll technology, and we made the first implementations in Ecuador," says Ramiro Virreira, Kapsch TrafficCom's VP for Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia. "Now, we are very happy to work with CCR Group to bring this technology to Brazil as well, and to thus improve mobility on the country's roads."

The company plans to expand the presence of intelligent transport and Free Flow tolling systems throughout Brazil, offering the advantage of improving the experience for road users. "Providing agility, safety and quality in travel, both in urban centers and on highways, is our expertise," says Carlos Wiedmaier, Kapsch TrafficCom's VP for Latin America. "We believe we have a lot to add to the Brazilian market."

Rio-Santos will be the first highway in that country to utilize this method of electronic fare collection. "Based on the experience accumulated in this stretch, it will be possible to expand this type of technology to other highways and concessionaires," says Eduardo Camargo, CCR Group's president.

Unlike traditional toll booths, the Free Flow system does not require a barrier, making passage fluid, without drivers having to reduce their vehicles' speed. As a result, the company explains, the necessary stops and speed reductions at a toll plaza are decreased, vehicle emissions are reduced, and noise pollution in neighboring areas is lessened.

The system uses gantry cranes installed on roads, equipped with Kapsch cameras, sensors and antennas that make it possible to identify and classify vehicles. For the Rio-Santos project, three gantries will be installed along approximately 200 kilometers (124 miles) of the highway, close to the cities of Itaguaí, Mangaratiba and Paraty.

Tag detection will be accomplished via RFID readers, and each gantry will be equipped with sensors for classifying vehicles based on axle counts. "We are working together and continuously with CCR to build a system suited to the specificities of the Brazilian market," Wiedmaier states, "with the main focus on the best experience for highway customers."