ITS Infrastructure Charging
Transport networks are made up of vast infrastructures, all of which have to be maintained, monitored, extended – and paid for. The question is: who pays? The obvious answer is users – but that leads to a host of other complications.
For example, you need a standardised basis for charging structures. Measurements must be accurate and transparent. The charging rules need to be fair. The cost of measurement and billing needs to be low enough to make the charge affordable – there is no point in charging if a large proportion of revenues goes to pay for that process.
These issues are common to all forms of transport infrastructure, including Network Rail’s 20,000 miles of track, the UK’s 6,500 miles of motorway and strategic trunk roads. And we’ve dealt with them all to produce integrated software that allows a transport infrastructure organisation to bill for the use of its assets.
We developed the system which delivers comprehensive accounting rules functionality, and easy reporting tools. The solution allows the charging rules to be altered without any changes to the software. Billing is transparent – the user can see exactly what infrastructure has been used and when – and accurate.
And we’ve already applied it to Network Rail’s track, charging passenger and freight train operators for an average of 28,000 movements a day. All are validated, stored and billed automatically.
As Richard Carter, head of delivery at Network Rail, puts it, the system “provides Network Rail with the required reliable and accurate information to support external regulatory requirements, internal billing operations and key strategic decision making.”
The system is so flexible that we can adapt it to any form of transport, including road tolls – an area in which we’re an international leader. Road tolling is seen as one of the most promising ways of reducing congestion and encouraging more people to use public transport.
In Europe, we’ve been testing satellite positioning and roadside beacons linked to recording units in lorries. The units track journey data and send it to a central processing station, which can generate bills for road use.
We’ve been working on road charging that can vary according to time of day and location. Vehicle data can be sent via mobile device or satellite to a billing centre and number plate recognition cameras can be linked into the system to provide further proof that a journey has been made.
We are also members of ERTICO, the network of intelligent transport systems and services stakeholders in Europe. We are currently working with the organisation on a technical validation of road charging interoperability projects.
