Urban tolling technology crosses Europe's borders
Discovery Reports
The world's first electronic urban tolling was implemented in Norway, and Bro-og Tunnelselskapet (B&T) was the company behind this innovation. After proving the reliability of its tolling solutions, B&T expanded its technology beyond Norwegian borders to serve travellers crossing Europe.
"We have to be efficient to come up with a solution that is acceptable to the population," says president and CEO Trond Juvik. "We can actually increase user flow and enhance the user experience."
B&T is a part of the EasyGo payment system, which is interoperable across Scandinavian countries. The system's high level of automation allows travellers coming from as far as Austria to use EasyGo in Norway.
Payment systems form part of B&T's complete value chain of tolling services, which includes roadside equipment and financial management. B&T established its new back-office platform for additional information technology services support.
"We are not just able to provide services limited to a certain area," Juvik says. "We can offer a complete solution with the right equipment and services."
Sixty years of pioneering experience enables the company to provide consultancy services to urban planners and municipalities. With total tolling costs around 10 per cent, which is considerably lower than other European countries, B&T is able to assist local governments in finding cost-efficient solutions.
One such project is Stockholm's congestion tax, which aims to ease clogged motorways and lessen the impact of heavy traffic on the environment. B&T's involvement in the tax's implementation helped the local government to reduce urban tolling costs by 60 per cent over the past three years.
As it looks forward to working with more government authorities abroad, B&T places importance on collaborating with contractors and infrastructure developers that provide complementary expertise. B&T regards partnerships as a primary means of growth into Asia, where it aims to share its competence to serve the local market.
