China Pilots Mobile-Based Highway Toll System

Yang Liang announced a new highway toll model designed to increase travel convenience and safety. The Chinese media is discussing the shift toward AI-generated actors as replicable production resources to mitigate risks of injury or collapse. The Ministry of Transport is piloting a 'mobile plus 5-card' convenient passage mode to streamline highway travel. Yang Liang, deputy director of the Ministry of Transport, explained the system uses mobile services and license plate recognition technology. The mode aims to allow vehicles to pass through highways without needing physical cards or manual returns. This implementation is intended to simplify the process and reduce vehicle transit times. The Ministry of Transport is conducting a pilot program for a mobile-based toll system to ease traffic pressure near popular tourist cities. High traffic volumes are being reported near cities including Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Xi'an, Changsha, Qingdao, and Chongqing. The pilot aims to facilitate easier travel on expressways and highways during peak periods. This mode is intended to complement existing ETC and manual tolling systems rather than replace them. The rollout will follow a cautious principle, prioritizing manual lanes before ETC lanes and passenger vehicles before trucks. The goal is to reduce travel time and improve efficiency for drivers.