Get to know the Multi Lane Free Flow System (MLFF), Pay Tolls Without Stopping

As a form of innovation in increasing electronification for smoothness and efficiency when entering toll roads, the Government through Bank Indonesia (BI) and the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) planned to use the Multi Lane Free Flow (MLFF) system. This MLFF-based non-cash transaction system is a contactless payment system to create efficiency, effectiveness, security and convenience in the implementation of the toll road payment system in Indonesia.

This cooperation agreement was carried out in March 2021, in which PUPR through the Toll Road Regulatory Agency (BPJT) has started the construction of MLFF-based toll transactions.

Through the MLFF system, it is hoped that toll road users in Indonesia will no longer need to stop at toll gates, let alone queue when making payments. Then does this Multi Lane Free Flow system work? Let’s find out more.

Get to know the Multi Lane Free Flow system

Have you ever counted how long you spend queuing at the toll gate? Sometimes when the toll roads are congested, the queue at the gate takes enough to make your trip longer. This is where the Multi Lane Free Flow system comes as a solution.

How familiar are you with this Multi Lane Free Flow system? Multi Lane Free Flow is often referred to as the Non-Cash Transaction System "Pay Tolls Without Stopping". Through this technology, toll road users no longer need to stop or queue when making payments.

As quoted from the bpjt.pu.go.id page, "In the future, when a vehicle passes the toll road, the electronic money balance in the application on the cellphone will be immediately deducted. The technology applied to MLFF is the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) which is a system that allows transactions to be made through applications on smartphones and read via satellite."

Before the use of electronic money, payment transactions took about 10 seconds. When payment is made via electronic money or e-Toll, the transaction duration is 4 seconds. Meanwhile, when this MLFF system runs, it will create zero second queue duration and will lessen the operational costs and reduce your fuel usage.

Currently the target for the implementation of the MLFF construction is to be carried out in stages starting in 2022 and it is hoped that by early 2023 most toll road sections, especially in Java and Bali, will be able to implement MLFF.

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How to pay toll entry with the Multi Lane Free Flow system

In using the Multi Lane Free Flow system, there are three ways of transaction that can be made by toll road users. Here's how to do MLFF transactions as a substitute for e-Tolls.

1. Electronic on Board Unit (E-OBU)

The first method of toll road transactions using the MLFF system is the Electronic on Board Unit or E-OBU. This method is recommended for toll road users who have smartphones and rarely swap vehicles with other people. In other words, if you only travel daily using one car, you can choose the E-OBU payment system.

Every vehicle that will enter the toll road must first register through the MLFF application, which can be downloaded from a smartphone. The data needed for the registration process are vehicle data and user data. The following are the registration steps for the Multi Lane Free Flow system:

• Download the E-OBU application on the App Store or Play Store.

• Fill in your personal data, cell phone number, e-mail, and e-wallet or electronic money used.

• Select the Car Registration menu and fill in the vehicle data. The information needed is the vehicle plate number, car type, car photo, and photo of the STNK document.

• After that, select the Payment Details menu.

After registering, users can choose a payment method. This system will later be integrated with various payments. After the registration process is successful, users can immediately use the E-OBU application by pressing the start button. The system will send a GPS signal to the central MLFF to detect the vehicle's location and will automatically deduct the balance.

2. On Board Units (OBU)

The second way of using the MLFF system is the On Board Unit (OBU). This method is recommended for vehicles that are frequently used by different drivers. To use the OBU device, users can buy OBU and register their vehicle.

This method is not much different from E-OBU. After registering the vehicle, the system will record toll road usage based on GPS and the balance will be automatically deducted according to the tariff.

3. Electronic Route Tickets

The last way to use the toll payment service without stopping is to buy an Electronic Route Ticker. This method is recommended for vehicle owners who rarely use toll roads.

To get an Electronic Route Ticket, you can buy it on the official website or the MLFF application. Through this method, you need to enter the toll entry and exit points.

Please note that if there is a violation, namely not paying a toll road, the toll road user will be subject to a penalty. User data will be sent to the police and the police will take further action against the user for a toll road violation.

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Benefits of the Multi Lane Free Flow System

The application of a contactless cashless toll payment system is getting closer. This was marked by the installation of sensor poles on the Jagorawi Toll Road in mid-October 2022. In the first phase, the MLFF system will be implemented in 40 toll roads in Indonesia.

So, what are the benefits of the Multi Lane Free Flow (MLFF) system?

• Can minimize traffic jams that often occur at toll gates.

• Can reduce vehicle exhaust emissions due to queues at toll gates.

• Support a digitized payment that can be monitored in real-time.

• Saves 30 seconds to 5 minutes of time usually spent on transactions at toll gates.

• Support a more efficient and effective toll payment system.  Even if they don't have a bank account, users still have many other payment gateway options.

That is the information about MLFF. By knowing the Multi Lane Free Flow system well, you will know very well about the innovation of the contactless cashless toll payment system that is getting imminent in Indonesia.

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