Charging, Tolling & RUC

Tolling technology is now at an advanced state but governments have a key role in ensuring the success of schemes as is evident in Africa. Shem Oirere reports. According to the African Development Bank, the continent has an estimated $46bn of infrastructure financing deficit. The bank says sub-Saharan Africa requires $93bn annually to meet its infrastructure development needs - but only half of the financing is available.

Thomas Hallauer from Ptolemus believes trials of connected road charging services will show the pay per mile concept will go much further than previously thought. Drivers are progressively becoming directly connected to the transport infrastructure and while the methods are changing, the innovation is really in the models rather than the technology.

Gentex Corporation and TransCore are teaming up to provide auto manufacturers with a vehicle-integrated tolling solution that enables motorists to drive on all US toll roads without a traditional toll tag on the windshield. Currently more than 75 per cent of new car registrations are in states with toll roads with over 50 million drivers accessing these roads each year. The two companies have signed an exclusive agreement to integrate TransCore's universal toll module (UTM) technology into Gentex's elect

Kapsch TrafficCom has reached an agreement with Schneider Electric to acquire its global transportation business. Formerly operating as Telvent Tráfico y Transporte, the business offers an industry portfolio of integrated advanced traffic management software (ATMS) solutions for urban, highway and tunnel applications as well as tolling and transit solutions. This acquisition will enable Kapsch TrafficCom to offer its current and future customers around the globe an integrated portfolio of intelligent tr

The South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) reached a major milestone when it switched on the automated payment option at several of its toll plazas, meaning that road users with electronic tags no longer have to stop to pay tolls manually with cash or credit cards. Automated payment is carried out automatically through a tag fitted to the vehicle to identify the account holder, debit their toll account with the appropriate toll fees and automatically open the toll boom, without the need to stop and

Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) has announced the addition of Scott Koblentz, former senior manager for the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) toll program, and Scott Doering, most recently vice president and managing director for electronic toll system supplier TransCore, to its tolling team. Koblentz is now global director of service solutions for CTS with an emphasis on toll projects. As the regional tolling and managed lanes program manager for SANDAG, he led the management and operatio

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has awarded Xerox a seven-year contract for the implementation of a state-of-the-art customer service system for processing toll transactions across the state. The deal involves processing more than one billion transactions per year and managing over five million accounts. Xerox will consolidate multiple tollway operations into one efficient back-office system, which it says will reduce costs, drive operational efficiencies and provide a better customer exp

Following its 650-page Road Charging Global Study, published earlier this year, Ptolemus Consulting Group has released its ranking of electronic toll collection (ETC) suppliers, said to be the first independent evaluation of e-tolling suppliers worldwide. Companies were assessed across three distinct groups: systems integrators, technology suppliers and service providers. Kapsch TrafficCom was found to be the number one global systems integrator, with Autostrade per l’Italia and Sanef ITS completing the

Q-Free’s management is taking the next steps decided to move the company from a road user charging supplier to a fully-integrated ITS company. Over the last few years, Q-Free has acquired eight companies in order to broaden its technology and customer base. To maximise the potential of these assets the company plans further streamlining and reduction of fixed costs and investment, including organisational changes, reduction in the management team and organisation, and optimisation of investments in sales

According to Chinese website Xinhua, Beijing is likely to trial a congestion charge in a bid to address its congestion and air quality. Close to 5.6 million vehicles vie for space on Beijing's roads and vehicle emissions account for 31 per cent of the city's smog sources, according to the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau.