JV promises new freeway toll plan

Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co (遠東電子收費), contractor for the nation's first electronic toll collection (ETC) system, yesterday formally opened its headquarters in Taipei, promising to deliver the stop-free system to road users by 2006.

The ETC system contractor is a NT$2.85 billion joint venture of Far EasTone Telecommunications Co (遠傳), Teco Electric & Machinery Co (東元電機), Systex Corp (精業) and Mitac Inc (神通電腦). The venture is slated to officially open the system on Jan. 1, 2006.

"Sixteen months from now, if drivers still need to stop at toll booths when taking the freeway, I will probably need to step down from my post as all of them will chase me around," Douglas Hsu (徐旭東), chairman of Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection, said during an inauguration ceremony yesterday.

Hsu is also chairman of the Far Eastern Group (遠東集團).

Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection in April won the NT$10 billion build-operate-transfer pro-ject to install the nation's first ETC system using infrared technology in 22 toll booths along the Sun Yat-sen Freeway and the Northern Second Freeway, which carry 5 million to 6 million vehicles per year.

With the system, developed by Austria-based Efkon AG, drivers can pay highway tolls through an on-board unit that incorporates the functions of an integrated circuit (IC) card. The unit can be read by sensors as a car passes by the toll booth.

In the early stages, users will be charged at each booth, but this will shift to a charge-by-distance system once card readers are installed on freeway entrances.

This will happen after the vehicle positioning systems are completed in July 2010.

Chang Yun Chang (張永昌), pres-ident of Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection, said the company plans to complete installation and testing of the first ETC system at the Northern Second Freeway's Hou-lung station in Miaoli County by the end of November, with the rest of the stations to be completed by the end of next July.

Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection also plans to expand its intelligent transportation system across the nation by making the toll card interoperable with various means of transportation, such as mass rapid transit and buses, Hsu said.

After the system has had time to mature in this country, Hsu hopes to transfer the technology to China.

Paul Huang (黃文祥), who is vice president of business and operations at Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection, said that in order to promote the system, the company plans to forge alliances with companies such as insurers, telecom carriers, banks, convenience stores and gas stations.

The intention is to come up with various promotional packages so that they can offer the NT$1,300 on-board unit for free.

As for the over 1,000 employees currently working in toll booths, Huang said the company will offer them jobs with guaranteed higher salary than their current pay.

Those who prefer to look for other jobs will be granted compensation of five months pay, he added.