Need support for people to convert toll accounts to traffic accounts

Communication is not clear

At the seminar, Mr. To Nam Toan, Head of the Department of Science , Technology, Environment and International Cooperation, Vietnam Road Administration, said that according to Decree 119/2024/ND-CP regulating electronic payment for road traffic, from October 1, current toll collection accounts such as VETC and ePass will be required to be replaced with traffic accounts. If not implemented, vehicle owners will not be able to pass through toll stations.

The traffic account must be linked to a non-cash payment method in accordance with banking law. Each traffic account can be used to pay for multiple vehicles, but each vehicle can only be linked to and receive payments from a single traffic account. The vehicle owner must ensure that there is enough money in the payment method linked to the traffic account, otherwise they will not be allowed to pass through the toll booth on the highway or must use the mixed toll lane at the toll booth.

Currently, there are 6.3 million vehicles nationwide using the automatic non-stop toll collection service, reaching nearly 100% of the total number of vehicles nationwide. However, a week ago, only 30% of vehicles had converted their accounts. The number of vehicles converting accounts has increased rapidly in recent days but still accounts for less than 50% of the total number of vehicles.

Deputy Minister of Construction Le Anh Tuan speaks at the seminar, August 14

Delegates attending the discussion all said that the main reason for this delay was due to the lack of synchronization of communication between management agencies and service providers, leading to people not being able to access and understand the policy.

Mr. Ho Quoc Phi, Vice President of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association, also said that the delay in conversion could have a huge impact on business activities and the circulation of goods. Agencies and units need to further promote and guide the entire population and drivers on how to implement the conversion of traffic accounts. At the same time, he also hopes that credit institutions, banks, Epass, and Viettel will have more instructions for businesses to implement correctly.

Need more specific instructions

In fact, vehicle owners can easily switch from an existing account to a transportation account right on the app. However, the problem here is that the transportation account must be connected to a cashless payment method, namely an e-wallet or credit card. While most drivers only have a bank account, it is not considered a cashless payment method due to security and payment speed issues. That means users still have to create an e-wallet and top up the wallet, or have a credit card.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Tung Lam, Administrator of OtoFun shared that most young people can access quickly and convert easily, but older people have difficulty with technology, because identification needs to be done many times on applications. So, is there any direct support for those with limited technology? For example, opening a direct support day, or do intermediary units have any solutions to make identification more convenient?

On the service provider side, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Trang, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Digital Traffic Joint Stock Company ePass, said that there are currently no technical standards for connecting non-stop toll collection service providers and payment method providers, leading to difficulties in system integration. Viettel proposed a solution to link Viettel ePass with multiple payment methods for customers to choose from, including: linking e-wallets, banks; international credit cards; payment methods for consumer loans, buy now, pay later; pay for monthly and quarterly tickets via QRCode.

Mr. To Nam Toan said that in the next few days, the Vietnam Road Administration will work and request service providers to provide specific, detailed, and easy-to-understand instructions for users right on the application. At the same time, service providers will immediately deploy solutions to support users so that the conversion can be made promptly.

At the seminar, Deputy Minister of Construction Le Anh Tuan said that the transition to a traffic account is a major change, requiring synchronous coordination between state management agencies, the banking sector, toll service providers and payment intermediaries. Therefore, management agencies and service providers need to strengthen policy communication, clarify regulations, benefits and methods of transition from toll accounts to traffic accounts connected to non-cash payment means.

The Deputy Minister also requested the parties to discuss and share difficulties and obstacles in the implementation process; propose solutions to ensure the progress of the conversion, while improving the experience and benefits of people and businesses.

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Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/can-ho-tro-nguoi-dan-chuyen-doi-tai-khoan-thu-phi-sang-tai-khoan-giao-thong-post808312.html