Georgia 400 To Upgrade Cruise Card RFID Toll Collection Technology to TransCore's eGo Tags;...

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Georgia's State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA), which operates the GA 400 toll road in Atlanta, will be the first toll facility within the continental United States to upgrade their radio frequency identification (RFID) toll collection technology to TransCore's paper-thin eGo(R)

tags, a lower-cost, battery-less windshield sticker tag. Almost a million eGo tags are already deployed in transportation applications, including toll roads in Puerto Rico and Brazil. The contract includes 100,000 eGo tags, 18 multi-protocol readers, along with installation services on the 18-lane toll road. Product will ship in the first quarter of 2005 and the system will be operational by mid-summer 2005.

Many of the electronic toll collection systems in the United States today have been in use for more than a decade with millions of the battery-based tags approaching the end of their battery's life, requiring broad-scale replacement and specialized methods of disposal. By choosing to adopt the battery-less eGo sticker tag technology, the SRTA will avoid the problems associated with expensive tag replacement programs required as aging battery-powered tag populations expire. The SRTA benefits from the cost savings, which is enough to allow SRTA to upgrade their entire base of roadside readers to TransCore's next generation product line. These new readers are multi-protocol, which means that they read both existing and new tags and allow for the gradual phasing-out of the existing tag technology while phasing in the use of eGo tags. This approach eases the transition for GA 400 customers and provides a lightweight and easier to adhere tag. The approach also reduces STRA's future operating costs by eliminating a frustrating and labor-intensive tag recall, minimizing storage requirements and reducing refurbishment and shipping costs.

TransCore's strong intellectual property portfolio and track record of successful research and development initiatives has enabled the company to continue to design and develop a diversified portfolio of product and application patents. TransCore's RFID tags and readers are differentiated from other products in the market by their ability to monitor accurately vehicles moving at high rates of speed. As a result, TransCore's technologies may be utilized for advanced applications, such as open road tolling, which is tolling at highway speeds without toll plazas or an all electronic highway.