South Korea McDonald's Adoption Of Hi-Pass Auto Payment System For Drive-thru Services

Illustration of McDonald's outlets in South Korea. (Wikimedia Commons/LERK)

JAKARTA - McDonald's fast food outlets in South Korea signed a multilateral business agreement with partner companies, to introduce the Hi-Pass payment system on the drive-thru for the first time in the country.

The decision was taken at a meeting with Korea Express Corporation, Shinhan Card, and KIS Information & Communication at its Seoul headquarters. The deal allows the e-toll system to be adopted for McDonald's consumers to order food faster and more comfortably.

The Hi-Pass system allows drivers to pay for toll roads without having to stop at toll gates. About 89 percent of total national vehicles use Hi-Pass.

Later, when someone enters the McDonald's drive-thru and orders food, payments will be made automatically with Hi-Pass technology installed on the vehicle, according to the Korea Times December 16.

The plan is that the e-toll payment system will be introduced on December 20 at the McDonald's drive-thru in Samsong area in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, and Songpa District in Seoul.

Not only that, the fast food chain plans to expand the use of the Hi-Pass payment system to 30 drive-thru in the first half of next year.

Another breakthrough, McDonald's will also introduce a remote scanner on the drive-thru service, so customers can use e-couplings.

"We are continuing this agreement to provide faster and easier drive-thru services with new payment platforms," said South Korea officials.

"The company will continue to provide the best drive-thru experience to customers with generous investment and development on the drive-thru platform."

It is known that McDonald's introduced McDrive's drive-thru system in South Korea for the first time at the Haeundae branch in Busan in 1992. Currently, about 60 percent of McDonald's drive-thru in the country uses the McDrive system.