A recent survey by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority reveals that many radio-frequency identification tags on retro-reflective number plates of vehicles have become inactive over time.

The rate of inactive RFID tags was around 50 per cent among the vehicles that took the service when it started in 2012, the survey, conducted in November on 1,700 vehicles running inside the capital, found.

The BRTA conducted the survey following a recent directive from the Prime Minister’s Office to introduce an integrated Electronic Toll Collection System using single RFID tags.

The survey found that the RFID tags on around half of the Compressed Natural Gas-run auto-rickshaws were out of order.

The condition of RFID tags on cars and microbuses was better compared with other vehicles, said BRTA officials.

The road transport and bridges ministry officials said that if RFID tags do not work, they must find an alternative method to implement the integrated Electronic Toll Collection System.

The initiative to introduce new plates with a tracking system was taken in 2009.

The Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory was appointed without tender in 2012 for the work, and the organisation started to fit retro-reflective plates with RFID tags on vehicles on October 31, 2012.

By October 31, the BMTF had manufactured 43,54,253 retro-reflective number plates with RFID tags, of which 36,83,060 were fixed to vehicles.

The warranty period for RFID tags is five years.

On July 17, the PMO formed a committee to recommend solutions to ease traffic congestion at the toll plazas of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge, Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Expressway and Mayor Mohammad Hanif Flyover and bring them under an Integrated Management System.

Following a meeting on October 17 at the Road Transport and Highways Division, where it was observed that many RFID tags were not functional anymore, the initiative for a survey was taken.

The survey was conducted at 12 checkpoints in the capital, installed by the BMTF, with the capacity to track down vehicles with RR number plates and RFID tags within the periphery of only 11 metres.

Under the survey, the BRTA checked 1,700 vehicles.

Currently, there are 55.46 lakh registered motor vehicles in the country, including 19.45 lakh in the capital.

‘Based on vehicle classes, we found the RFID tags in around half of the CNG autos out of order as the drivers usually clean these vehicles with water on a regular basis,’ said a senior BRTA official.

As owners of private vehicles like cars, microbuses take good care of their vehicles, their tags were found in good condition, the officer added.

BRTA chairman Nur Mohammad Mazumder said that they had sent the survey report to the Road Transport and Highways Departments but did not make any comment on the report.