Monday, May 08, 2006

Harris County Toll Road Authority plans major purchase of RFID tags

Houston's Harris County Toll Road Authority Latest to Embrace TransCore's eGo Plus RFID

Paper-Thin Windshield Sticker Technology, Commits to a Million Tags

May 08, 2006
Business Wire
Copyright 2006


PHILADELPHIA The Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) in Houston, Texas, selects TransCore's multi-protocol eGo(R) Plus radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to replace its current EZ TAG(R) transponder, upgrading from the older hard case tag in use for the past 13 years to the next-generation paper-thin, non-battery windshield sticker tags. HCTRA plans to migrate approximately 1.2 million motorists to the new eGo Plus tags over the next couple of years. The order is for one million eGo Plus tags with distribution slated to begin in Spring 2006.

TransCore's eGo Plus tag, also selected by the Texas Department of Transportation in September 2005, overcomes the cost barrier to widespread adoption making it more attractive for electronic payment of tolls. The non-battery tag also eliminates the additional cost of batteries and tag refurbishment. The multi-protocol tag provides the ability for motorists to use their EZ TAGs on toll roads in other parts of Texas and also any other states that have established interoperability agreements with the toll authorities in Texas.

"As HCTRA did in pioneering electronic tolling over 13 years ago, HCTRA once again demonstrates its commitment to improving their patrons experience by implementing next generation eGo Plus technology," said John Worthington, president of TransCore.

"HCTRA will be able to operate more efficiently and offer the convenience of wireless payment to more motorists with the reduced cost of tags and tag distribution. Increasing the number of users and creating statewide or multi-state interoperability brings tremendous value to toll road customers in Houston."

About eGo Plus Technology

The eGo Plus sticker tag is a 915 MHz radio frequency programmable, windshield tag, and requires no battery. Packaged as a flexible paper-thin sticker, this transponder is ideal for applications that require low-cost, easily installed tags and is appropriate for high-speed electronic toll collection, airport ground transportation management systems, parking and security access. The eGo Plus tag is similar in size to a state inspection sticker and adheres to the vehicle windshield, positioned unobtrusively behind the rear-view mirror. The tag supports multiple protocols, making it easy to migrate from a mixed-tag population and works with the current reader infrastructure.

The eGo Plus tag offers a read range of up to 31.5 feet (9.6 meters) and 2048-bit read/write memory at a fraction of the cost of older, less flexible RFID technology. The tag provides the capability to read, write, rewrite, or permanently lock individual bytes. Custom printing and labeling is also available.

Each eGo Plus sticker tag comes equipped with a factory-programmed unique tag identification number that prevents the tag from being duplicated.

About TransCore

TransCore, a transportation services company, is a unit of Roper Industries, a market-driven, diversified growth company with annual revenues of $1.5 billion and a component of the S&P MidCap 400 and Russell 1000 Indexes. With installations in 41 countries, more than 100 patents and pioneering applications of RFID, GPS and satellite communications technologies, TransCore's technical expertise is unparalleled in the markets it serves. TransCore's 60-year heritage spans the development of RFID transportation applications at Los Alamos National Labs to implementation of the nation's first electronic toll collection system.

TransCore's extensive global experience with tolling systems includes more than 6,200 installed electronic toll collection lanes worldwide and 22 customer service centers. TransCore offers an extensive suite of enterprise software applications, business process outsourcing, system integration, and maintenance services to provide complete solutions, configurable to customers' requirements.

For more information, visit

www.transcore.com


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