Toll collection is one of the most important systems in the functioning of the highway and its maintenance, but also the improvement of highway service. There are several types of billing tolls, and each type has its advantages and disadvantages. Toll collection raises funds for the maintenance and construction of roads. There are direct and indirect ways of collecting tolls from users. It is important to determine which system is most optimal for the functioning of the highway for which the system itself is determined.
There are several ways in which tolls can be paid, and the main division is into the manual and electronic collection, ie payment in cash in national and foreign currency, credit cards, subscription cards, smart cards, or ETC devices. In order to increase the flow of vehicles through toll stations, the goal is to speed up toll collection at the toll booth. The use of non-cash means of payment avoids a refund operation which accounts for a significant part of the time of each transaction. That is why toll payment with a smart card has been introduced at all toll stations, and contactless tolls are also used, ie entry-exit passages for electronic toll collection, through which vehicles equipped with a transmitter pass by slowing down, without stopping.
The most well-known direct toll collection system is manual toll collection. This form of tolling works according to the system of taking an identification card at the entry point on the motorway and toll collection at the exit from it. In addition to manual toll collection, electronic automatic toll collection systems are being introduced in parallel. The advantage of such a system is that it does not require a complete stop of the vehicle, but only deceleration to a certain speed.
Given the hectic lifestyle and road congestion, more and more people are opting for electronic toll collection, where the collection takes place without the mediation of the cashier, or through the ENC device that is placed on the windshield of the vehicle. When entering the motorway, the antenna records the entry of the vehicle with the ETC device and sends the data to the central system, and when exiting the section, a charge is made for the distance traveled according to certain tariffs. It is important to note that when buying an ETC device, it must be registered for a certain category of vehicle and that this device is usually valid only within the borders of one country.
We are witnessing modern times and the fact that smartphones have changed our way of life a lot, and made it much easier for us. In addition to serving as small laptops, smartphones allow us easy access to the Internet and a variety of information but are useful and practical for many things such as paying bills. In some countries such as Massachusetts, USA, you can also pay tolls in this very practical way. This billing takes place through an app that is available for all smart devices, no matter which operating system they use. In addition, you will be able to find other useful information such as toll prices and collection methods. A registered user cannot change their personal information, but the user can register their mobile phone. Registering a mobile phone opens up the possibility of top-using the device’s account and checking the balance. You can learn more about it at uproad.com. In addition, the application allows you to check the cost of tolls for a planned trip, find the nearest rest stop or gas station on the highway, and get information on where to buy an ETC device, ETC voucher or where to top up ETC on the highway.
Speaking of mobile applications through which we can pay tolls, it is important to mention that in most cases the payment is made via QR code. Today, over 20 million people worldwide use this option for all types of contactless payments, which is especially important due to the coronary virus pandemic that has struck almost all countries of the world. All you need to do is log in to the application and not worry about security, because the data is encrypted, which makes payment reliable.
What we can say is that in this way you save your time, just like electronic toll collection, because it is very simple and fast, and contributes to reducing congestion with the exits from the highway, which is a priority. Traffic jams mostly occur to return the rest of the money to drivers.
There is another, very common way of payment, and that is by buying a vignette. Vignettes simplify toll collection, do not cause traffic jams and congestion, and the use of vignettes does not require the construction of toll collection infrastructure. The biggest disadvantage of such a toll collection system is the inadequacy according to the volume of highway use.
There is another, very common way of payment, and that is by buying a vignette. Vignettes simplify toll collection, do not cause traffic jams and congestion, and the use of vignettes does not require the construction of toll collection infrastructure. The biggest disadvantage of such a toll collection system is the inadequacy according to the volume of highway use.
The advantages of electronic toll collection are numerous – faster and safer passage, passing without stopping, reduction of congestion at toll plazas, the bonus of 20% on each top-up on ETC, for Prepaid billing users allowed to enter minus for one transaction in case of insufficient amount credits to the account.
Free Flow Tolling technology is a new type of ETC technology that allows vehicles to pass through toll booths without reducing their speed. Users will no longer need to own an ETC device because the system scans their registration plate. The system allows vehicles to pass through the device at the maximum permitted speed for the respective road, and also allows imaging and identification of the registration plates of all vehicles passing through the device without a transponder.
