Non-stop Automatic Toll Collection (ECT): Generating data to optimize traffic management

The non-stop automatic toll collection (ETC) system has generated valuable data to optimize traffic management, while providing a basis for strategic economic decisions.

In the future, Vietnam may apply ETC to inner-city toll collection - a solution to help control traffic flow in the city.

According to the Project "Developing the application of population data, electronic identification and authentication to serve national digital transformation in the period 2022-2025, with a vision to 2030" (Project 06) approved by the Prime Minister , the goal is to apply the national population database, electronic identification and authentication system in the national digital transformation process by 2025, with a vision to 2030.

According to economic experts, after 2 years of implementation, Project 06 has achieved positive initial results, receiving the approval, support and high appreciation from people and businesses. Thereby, it contributes to changing management methods and improving the quality and efficiency of citizen management; contributing to limiting negativity and "petty corruption"; saving time and effort; creating an important foundation for deploying online public services to serve people and businesses, contributing to promoting the development of digital government, digital economy and digital society.

Project 06 aims to build a national database on population, facilitating information sharing and connection between state agencies. This also opens up the possibility of integrating data on vehicles and owners with existing traffic management systems.

The near future of ETC

According to the Law on Road Traffic Safety and Order, ministries and branches will jointly build a database on road traffic safety and order, including data on vehicle registration and management; vehicle inspection; training, testing, driver licensing; handling of administrative violations, etc. The database on road traffic safety and order is built uniformly nationwide, shared by agencies, organizations and individuals to serve state management, policy making and requirements of relevant agencies, organizations and individuals.

At the national level, according to research by Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Minh Khuong (Lecturer at the National University of Singapore), the non-stop automatic toll collection (ETC) system has generated valuable data to optimize traffic management, while providing a basis for strategic economic decisions. Not only stopping at road toll collection, ETC is also widely applied in parking lots and airports, helping to improve operational efficiency and user experience.

Currently, in Vietnam, two major international airports, Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat, have successfully piloted ETC and it is expected to be deployed simultaneously at all airports across the country this year.

VETC Company has deployed technology at nearly 150 smart parking lots in Hanoi .

It can be said that in the context of Vietnam aiming to become a digital economy, ETC is the “key” to open the door to high-tech applications such as IoT, Big Data and cashless payments. Data from the ETC system not only helps forecast and manage traffic but also creates a foundation for other smart services, from vehicle insurance, vehicle management to advanced transportation solutions.

ETC service is also quickly applied in collecting parking fees with more than 100 parking lots in Hanoi. Adding this feature not only creates convenience for customers but also improves service quality and increases transparency for businesses.

As the first enterprise to participate in providing ETC services with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in Vietnam, VETC Automatic Toll Collection Company Limited is a pioneer in expanding the applications of the ETC platform into activities serving social life.

Non-stop automatic toll collection (ETC) systems have generated valuable data to optimize traffic management and provide a basis for strategic economic decisions. Beyond road toll collection, ETC is also widely applied in parking lots and airports, helping to improve operational efficiency and user experience.

Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Minh Khuong, Lecturer, National University of Singapore

Opportunities for economic development

Since 2023, VETC has developed VETC accounts to help customers deposit and withdraw money directly on the application and can be used to buy gasoline, transfer money between transportation accounts and soon, road infrastructure fee services, car insurance, etc.

In addition to the above applications, in the future, Vietnam can apply ETC to inner-city toll collection - a solution to help control traffic flow in the city and create a sustainable source of revenue for investment in traffic infrastructure that urban authorities are aiming for.

Increasing the application of ETC beyond road toll collection is also a solution to promote cashless payment methods, contributing to building a more comprehensive, transparent and efficient digital economy. Through practice and the latest research, ETC is not only a technology that helps improve traffic, but also an important driving force to promote the sustainable development of Vietnam's economy.

With support from the Government and participation from the private sector, ETC will continue to open up development opportunities not only for the transport sector but also for the entire economy.

The ETC system is capable of collecting a large amount of data on vehicles, users, transaction times and locations. Maximizing the value from ETC, combining applications with modern technologies will help Vietnam not only improve its traffic infrastructure but also build a smart and modern economy, towards a sustainable and prosperous future.

According to preliminary statistics, the country currently has about 45.5 million motorbikes and 6.5 million cars in circulation. As of June 2024, the total number of vehicles with tags and open toll collection accounts reached nearly 5.7 million vehicles, the number of transactions through the non-stop toll collection system accounted for about 95% of the total number of transactions through toll stations nationwide. Since the implementation of "pure ETC" on highways to date, there have been more than 1 billion vehicle transactions through this system.

The ETC system has helped authorities improve traffic management efficiency, reduce congestion; detect and handle traffic violations; provide data for policy making and traffic regulations; synchronize data with state management agencies such as the Vietnam Register, the Tax Department, etc. to help improve state management efficiency and prevent tax evasion. Authorities can easily access information on vehicles that violate the law, are stolen or are not registered.

Along with that, data from the ETC system can be used to control vehicles entering and exiting restricted areas and parking lots; facilitating the development of features such as smart parking search, pre-booking parking spaces, etc. Decision 19/2020/QD-TTg on road service fees has laid the foundation for the development of the ETC system in Vietnam, but mainly focuses on road fees, not mentioning other traffic services.

Vehicle owners can find, book and prepay parking fees on the VETC app.

In the general trend of smart traffic application, State management agencies and many enterprises have recognized the potential of the ETC system, proposed to expand payment intermediary services on the ETC platform to create an ecosystem of smart traffic services such as toll collection at airports, seaports; parking fees, inspection fees; payment of bus and train tickets, etc. Currently, VETC has been pioneering the implementation of cashless, non-stop parking fee collection service in Hanoi, and soon in Ho Chi Minh City, initially showing positive results.

However, as a leading unit in developing and operating ETC road toll collection, the unit's leadership representative also shared the desire to develop a more comprehensive traffic "ecosystem", along with expectations for an open mechanism from the management agency to be able to integrate multiple services into a single account, not just stopping at parking.

From there, it gradually creates new needs, contributing to changing people's consumption and payment habits, towards "smart transportation" in the true sense and a modern lifestyle, keeping up with the development trends of the world.

TRANG HUYEN

Source: https://nhandan.vn/automatic-tax-collection-system-without-using-document-to-create-data-to-optimize-traffic-management-post832624.html