What does ETC toll photography mean?
2 Answers
ETC toll photography refers to the segmented toll collection system on highways. After the removal of provincial boundary toll stations on highways, a new 'gantry-based segmented toll collection' model has been adopted. This means both ETC vehicles and manually paid vehicles are charged uniformly based on their vehicle type and actual travel route. Gantries are devices installed at regular intervals along highways to calculate toll amounts. Each time a vehicle passes under a gantry, the cameras mounted on it photograph the vehicle to determine the toll based on the vehicle type, and the corresponding toll fee is deducted from the vehicle's ETC account. Upon exiting the highway, the total toll fee for that highway section is calculated by adding the fee for entering/exiting the ramp and the fees deducted at each gantry passed along the way.
Last time I was on the highway, I specifically observed the ETC cameras—those small devices mounted above the toll booths. When your car passes through the ETC lane, it snaps a photo of your license plate, mainly to verify vehicle information. Think about it—if the ETC card isn’t scanned properly or the OBU device malfunctions, the captured license plate photo can be matched with system records to avoid incorrect charges. Plus, now that highways use segment-based tolling, similar cameras are installed on gantries at different sections. Each snapshot records your passing location, and the total distance is calculated for the final fee. I also noticed these photos are stored for a while, so if there’s any doubt about the bill, you can request the photos for verification. Pretty user-friendly.
