Drastic action needed to boost EU-wide user-friendly road toll services, says Transport Committee

To improve interoperability of road charging systems, the European Commission must focus on better implementation of existing legislation and assess the need for new measures to encourage the development of a EU-wide electronic toll system, according to an own-initiative report adopted in the Transport and Tourism Committee. MEPs say incentives for road operators and toll service providers have not been sufficient and criticise lack of action by Member States to develop EU-wide standards, as set out in a Di
April 24, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
To improve interoperability of road charging systems, the 1690 European Commission must focus on better implementation of existing legislation and assess the need for new measures to encourage the development of a EU-wide electronic toll system, according to an own-initiative report adopted in the Transport and Tourism Committee.

MEPs say incentives for road operators and toll service providers have not been sufficient and criticise lack of action by Member States to develop EU-wide standards, as set out in a Directive on interoperability of electronic toll systems in 2004.

The resolution calls the Commission to provide an overview of existing studies by the end of 2013 for policy options in the medium and long term including the deployment of technologies, such as GPS/GNSS to prevent and reduce congestion caused by physical barriers.

The report urges the take-up of mobile payments, facilitation of pre-payments online, and clear indications of prices in order to enhance user-friendliness and informed customer choices. Transport MEPs reiterated that distance-based tolling systems should be favoured, as they are a fairer, non-discriminatory type compared to the vignette-type system.
Charging, Tolling & RUC

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ITS (UK): Shift to emissions free vehicles will make road network funding unsustainable
    November 30, 2017
    Shortfalls in fuel tax caused by moving to emissions-free vehicles will make current ways of funding road networks unsustainable, according to a joint forum between ITS (UK) Road User Charging Interest Group and ITS Ireland hosted by Aecom, Dublin. The group consisted of policy makers, toll operators, payment providers and highway users from seven European countries.
    Read More
  • European Parliament test drives fuel cell vehicles
    October 29, 2012
    The 5th Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Drive ‘n’ Ride event was recently held in Strasbourg, France, under the patronage of Brian Simpson, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and chair of the European Parliament’s transport and tourism committee, to demonstrate the readiness of fuel cells and hydrogen as a viable route to zero emission transport in Europe.
    Read More
  • EU budget ‘should help speed up research for decarbonisation of transport’
    September 1, 2017
    Following a vote on the 2018 European Union general budget by the Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN), chair Karima Delli said that, by adopting its 2018 budget, the TRAN Committee has given clear priorities for the future of mobility in the EU. She went on to say that in a period of great uncertainty for the next EU budgets due to Brexit, it is very important that the EU secures and speeds up research and innovation programmes such as SESAR.
    Read More
  • EU funding kick-starts EETS studies
    February 4, 2014
    The regional European Electronic Toll Services (EETS) initiative is about to be kick-started by over US$3 million of co-financing from the European Union TEN-T Program. A a series of studies aimed at deploying EETS on a cross-border regional scale, selected for funding under the 2012 TEN-T multi-annual programme, specifically cover the electronically tolled primary road network of seven member states: Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain, and Switzerland, which receives no EU suppor
    Read More

Highlighted Content