FETC Partners with BGSR Group to Build Thailand's Highway Electronic Toll Collection System

Central News Agency (Taipei, April 17th) - Some netizens discovered that the highway from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi in Thailand has electronic toll gates similar to Taiwan's. Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection (FETC) today announced that it has partnered with its subsidiary Far Eastern International Thailand (FEIT) and the BGSR consortium to launch a multi-lane free-flow electronic toll collection system for Thailand's M81 highway. FETC today issued a press release stating that its M-Flow multi-lane free-flow electronic toll collection system for Thailand's M81 intercity highway (Bang Yai - Kanchanaburi), built in collaboration with its subsidiary Far Eastern International Thailand Co., Ltd. and the Thai BGSR consortium, has officially opened for traffic. This not only symbolizes the official formation of a "one-day living circle" from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi but also represents the successful assistance of the ETC Taiwan team in Thailand, marking a new milestone in the digital transformation of highways. Chen Sheng-keng, CEO of FEIT, pointed out that M81 fully demonstrates the "high adaptability" advantage of Taiwan's ETC, which can be adapted to local conditions. FEIT is not only responsible for the design, installation, and implementation of the entire line's toll collection system and Traffic Operations Center (TOC), but the system also deeply integrates AI and IoT technologies to build a data-driven intelligent operation and maintenance decision-making platform. In the future, it will also have the flexibility to expand traffic management applications such as dynamic weighbridges. Facing the challenges of more complex vehicle types, license plate text, and colors in Thailand compared to Taiwan, Chen Sheng-keng pointed out that the team achieved accurate recognition through advanced AI image recognition (ALPR) technology and combined it with diverse digital payment tools, allowing road users to enjoy the seamless experience brought by M-Flow. According to statistics, after the full opening of M81, the one-way travel time from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi has been significantly reduced from nearly 2 hours to 48 minutes. Weekend daily traffic volume has reached 55,000 vehicles, significantly enhancing the tourism competitiveness and logistics efficiency of the Western Thailand region. In addition to the official operation of M81, FETC stated that the FETC team is also responsible for the construction of the electronic toll collection system for the M6 highway (Bang Pa-in - Nakhon Ratchasima). This highway has a total length of 196 kilometers and 9 interchanges, serving as a key passage connecting Bangkok with the Northeast and Mekong River regions. Currently, the main line's civil engineering is still progressing, and some completed sections have been opened for public trial. It is expected to achieve full line opening and operation by 2028. Since 2022, the FETC team has also assisted in the construction and operation and maintenance of the M-Flow system for Thailand's M9 expressway, and guided its gantry design and subsequent operations. According to statistics from the Department of Highways of Thailand, since its activation, it has not only increased traffic efficiency by 5 times, saved road users 3.33 million hours of travel time annually, but also created a benefit-cost ratio as high as 6.94, meaning that every 1 unit of cost invested generates nearly 7 times the social benefit. In terms of environmental sustainability, it saves 13.91 million liters of fuel annually and reduces over 36,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.