Implementing Agency:
Municipal Government of Bayambang, Pangasinan
Year Implemented:
2017-present
Themes:
Management for Productivity, Quality and Agility, and Digitization & New Technologies
General Description
The Municipality of Bayambang utilizes electronic tagging technology for traffic management. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) stickers are installed on registered tricycles to ensure that only registered tricycles can operate according to specific designated routes within the municipality.
Background and Problem
Four major thoroughfares converge in the town center of Bayambang. Provincial buses, FX utility vehicles, jeeps, private cars, and tricycles all pass through the town center from these four access points. While this volume of vehicles is beneficial for the establishments in the area, it can also cause traffic congestion.
Among these vehicles, the tricycle is the most numerous. There are approximately 2,000 to 2,300 registered units in Bayambang, and an indeterminate number of “colorum†units. It is often difficult for traffic enforcers to distinguish between registered and colorum vehicles, and inspections would only contribute to aggravating traffic by causing obstructions.
Solution and Impact
To address traffic congestion, the municipality focused on the regulation of tricycle operations. This involves the installation of RFID stickers on the windshield of registered tricycles, allowing these vehicles to be validated using an RFID reader, either through a handheld unit operated by traffic enforcement personnel or through fixed units installed in strategic locations within the municipality. This e-tagging system combines with the 130 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the area to enable municipal officials to monitor not just the operation of authorized and “colorum†tricycles but also the routes being plied. This ensures that tricycle units do not all congregate in busier areas and that all routes are properly serviced.
The municipal government engaged Tricycle Operators and Drivers Associations (TODAs) to discuss the initiative and consult directly with tricycle drivers on the implementation of the initiative. Because the goal is regulation and not disenfranchisement, unregistered tricycle operators were given time and assistance to complete their compliance requirements.
RFID Sticker Installation (Source: Municipality of Bayambang)
RFID Reader being used on an RFID tag (Source: Municipality of Bayambang)
Milestones
Municipal officials estimate that traffic has been reduced significantly by the initiative, as “colorum†tricycles can no longer operate. This also translates to increased income for legitimate tricycle drivers given the reduction of competition.
Bayambang was awarded Best in eGov Systems for Global Competitiveness Award (Municipality Level) at the 2018 digitalcitiesPH Awards which recognizes LGUs for developing world-class ICT systems that are at par with international standards (DICT, 2018).
Sources
Atlas RFID Store. (2021). What is RFID? | The beginner’s guide to RFID systems. Retrieved from https://www.atlasrfidstore.com/rfid-beginners- guide/#:~:text=RFID%20tags%20transmit%20data%20about,to%20the%20antenna%2Freader%20combination.&text=The%20energy%20activates%20the%20chip,back%20toward%20the%20antenna%2Freader.
DICT. (2018). Best eGovernance systems shine at digitalcitiesPH Awards. Retrieved from https://dict.gov.ph/best-egovernance-systems-shine-at-digitalcitiesph-awards/
Municipality of Bayambang. (2017). Implementation of Bayambang RFID access and e-Tagging report [PDF File]. Retrieved from https://www.bayambang.gov.ph/wp- content/uploads/2017/09/Executive-Order-15-2017-1.pdf