Advanced work is underway on the technical aspects of introducing a single device for settling all road tolls across Europe. The commercialization of the service is being handled by Toll4Europe, a joint venture combining the efforts of DKV Euro Service, T-Systems, and Daimler AG.
The introduction of the unified on-board unit will first take place in Poland, Germany, Belgium, France, and Austria. Subsequently, the system will also cover Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Hungary. EETS, or the European Electronic Toll Service, is to be implemented across EU countries by the end of 2017, in accordance with the Directive of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe. The creators of Toll4Europe are currently conducting advanced work on the technical and tool-related side of EETS, which involves launching a single on-board unit for calculating all types of tolls. The introduction of the device is planned for 2018.
For transport companies, the billing partner for the unified service will include DKV Euro Service. In addition to replacing multiple on-board units with one, DKV customers will have access to numerous services for monitoring and planning road tolls. Furthermore, they will be able to benefit from diesel discounts within a network of 60,000 acceptance points in 42 European countries, real-time fuel price monitoring at stations, instant foreign VAT refund services, vehicle maintenance and washing, as well as the DKV e-Reporting transport cost management system.
– EETS means nothing but benefits for users. First and foremost, every driver will be able to travel freely across Europe with just one device in the vehicle, which will automatically calculate all fees. This will not only bring huge time savings but also simplify formalities and invoicing – there will no longer be a need to collect receipts from every toll point passed. Fees will be calculated without the need for vehicles to stop at toll gates, which will effectively reduce traffic jams – says Michał Bałakier, Managing Director of DKV Euro Service Poland.
The composition of the Toll4Europe expert team is no coincidence. It is formed by the largest European providers of tools and services for road toll settlement. Their goal is to simplify and unify toll collection not only for toll road sections but also for selected tunnels and bridges throughout Europe. A single toll system will apply to all major transport routes – including those in Poland. The new on-board unit will calculate road tolls in all transit countries. Subsequently, they can be settled in a single currency. More information at: www.dkv-euroservice.com