Commuters drive through the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, in Hong Kong, March 22, 2023. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

The HkeToll automatic-toll payment system is set to be extended to Shing Mun Tunnels from Sunday and the Lion Rock Tunnel on May 28.

Motorists will be able to drive through the toll plaza without having to stop or line up at toll booths for payments and all manual toll booths. The system replaces Autotoll.

The Transport Department also said that it had received 52 complaints related to HkeToll as of Monday this week, 29 cases of which involved errors in manually entering license plate numbers

During a Thursday news conference, the Transport Department said that it had issued 720,000 vehicle tags, accounting for 89 percent of the total number of licensed vehicles.

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The HkeToll windshield tag is equipped with radio-frequency identification technology that is read by the tunnel’s payment equipment.

Seventy-six percent of drivers with vehicle tags have opened HkeToll accounts, the department said.

Transport Department Commissioner Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said HkeToll is capable of handling 86,000 vehicles per hour, making it able to cope with the busiest traffic flow in the Tsing Sha Control Area, Shing Mun Tunnel, and Lion Rock Tunnel.

The Transport Department also said that it had received 52 complaints related to HkeToll as of Monday this week, 29 cases of which involved errors in manually entering license plate numbers.

Five complaints involving “ghost license plates” — those in use by someone other than the registered owner — were handed over to the police for follow-up.

The department’s data show that most taxis have successfully paid using HkeToll, but some stickers were unreadable because of incorrect positioning or installation. The positions of vehicle stickers in some taxis were found to be too close to metal objects, such as logbooks, radio antennas, or windshield window frames, and some were even installed upside down.

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After making adjustments, the proportion of successful reading of the vehicle stickers increased to 92 percent.

Commissioner Law added that HkeToll eventually will be required for use in all parts of Hong Kong.

The department once again appealed to vehicle owners to install vehicle tags and open HKeToll account as soon as possible to fully enjoy the convenience that the new arrangement offers.

Contact the writer at mikegu@chinadailyhk.com