Stakeholder meeting at Bridges Division discusses integrated mobile app and cashless roadmap
Government Plans Single Interoperable ETC Network and Unified BRTA Tag for Toll Plazas
A high-level stakeholder meeting was held at the Bridges Division to bring all highways, bridges, flyovers, expressways, and tunnels under a unified and interoperable Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) network.
A high-level stakeholder consultative meeting was held to review a committee report aimed at integrating the diverse Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) operations of the country's roads, bridges, flyovers, expressways, and tunnels into a single interoperable network. Presided over by Md. Abdur Rouf, Secretary of the Bridges Division and Executive Director of the Bangladesh Bridges Authority, the session took place on June 24 (Wednesday) at the Bridges Division conference room, drawing state officials, tech experts, private stakeholders, and journalists.
The proposed architecture intends to connect existing RFID-based ETC models to a central network via APIs, with recommendations to execute the project through the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division. To eliminate user hassles, a policy decision was adopted to replace multiple tags with a single RFID Tag supplied by the BRTA. Furthermore, an integrated mobile app will be developed to handle registration, digital toll payments, and traffic alerts.
In his presidential address, Bridges Division Secretary Md. Abdur Rouf stated that smart infrastructure and cashless transactions are the pillars of the Prime Minister's vision for a modern communication ecosystem. He emphasized that establishing 100% automated management at toll plazas is essential to maximize the benefits of expressways, tunnels, and flyovers, which would drastically cut down travel time and fuel waste.
The assembly discussed the operational constraints and public suffering caused by fragmented payment systems currently used at the Padma Bridge, Jamuna Bridge, Dhaka-Mawa Expressway, Mayor Hanif Flyover, and Karnaphuli Tunnel. Speakers agreed that a unified toll framework will be a breakthrough in establishing a "Cashless Society." Representatives from the Road Transport and Highways Division, Bangladesh Bank, a2i, NTMC, BUET, IUT, Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, and Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, along with various banking and MFS partners, shared their technical evaluations at the meeting.
//DBTech/ND/EK//
