Mexico has completed the installation of electronic-payment equipment in all 1,050 lanes at the 129 toll plazas operated by Caminos y Puentes Federales (CAPUFE).

The country’s Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport said motorists can use a windscreen-mounted electronic tag linked to an account. Readers installed at the toll plaza detect the tag and deduct the relevant charge automatically. The programme was undertaken by CAPUFE in coordination with the federal Agency for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications.

It is intended to shorten queues, support more consistent traffic flow and improve security by reducing the amount of cash exchanged between motorists and toll-collection staff. “While cash payment can take around one minute, electronic tolling completes the transaction in approximately 10 seconds,” the Secretariat said in a statement. Cash collection has not been abolished.

Motorists without a compatible tag can continue to use multimodal lanes and pay an attendant, although the government is encouraging users to migrate progressively to electronic payment. The upgrade applies specifically to CAPUFE’s 129-plaza network rather than every toll road operated by public and private concessionaires across Mexico.