Based on RFID and IR technology, the device aims to help ensure that drivers pay their fare share when using high-occupancy toll lanes.

Oct. 3, 2006—Some tolling agencies have begun converting high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes into high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes. HOT lanes allow multiple-occupancy vehicles free access during off-peak times of the day, while charging all vehicles during peak-usage hours to maximize traffic flow and encourage ride sharing. To determine the number of occupants in a given vehicle, agencies offering HOT lanes are testing a range of methods, says Christine Bowrey, an applications engineer at Efkon USA, a Texas subsidiary of Austrian traffic-management and tolling technology provider Efkon. These methods range from facial-recognition cameras mounted around tollbooths to systems that are completely manual.