“Traffic has been growing continuously month by month in the Czech Republic in recent years. This is due to economic growth and increasing consumption in Central Europe. For the Czech Republic as a transit country, it is therefore all the more important to secure corresponding revenues to maintain and improve the road infrastructure,” explains Erwin Toplak, CEO of Kapsch TrafficCom. “At the same time, the toll system installed by Kapsch is making a considerable contribution to reigning in the strong growth in transit traffic and therefore making it possible to better plan the long-term development of traffic in the Czech Republic.”

The D1 motorway alone brings in 36% of revenue – most users pay in advance
The Czech toll system has generated revenue totalling CZK 7.1 billion (around EUR 284 million) in its first 15 months of operation (since 1st January 2007). The strongest months for the electronic levying of tolls were October and November 2007, each raising in excess of CZK 500 million (more than EUR 20 million). The trend set in these months is continuing in 2008. Revenue for the 1st quarter of 2008 reached CZK 1.5 billion (EUR 60 million). By class of road, 76.5% of toll revenues were generated on Czech motorways and 23.5% on the country’s expressways (including trunk roads). Due to its location, the D1 motorway alone accounts for 36% of total toll revenues in the Czech Republic. 60% of all tolls are taken from Czech vehicles, followed by Slovakian lorries (14%) and Polish vehicles (7%). Barely 0.7% of annual revenues are raised from Austrian lorries. Most road users pay in advance: 66% of the currently 273,000 owners of On-Board Units (OBUs) make use of the option to pay in advance.

At present, tolls are levied in the Czech Republic on some 1,000 km of motorways and expressways, and since January 2008, on approx. 200 km of trunk roads. All vehicles weighing 12 tonnes or more are subject to a toll. They pay an average of CZK 4.05/km (€ 0.16). The Czech Ministry of Transport is planning to expand the toll to include all vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes from January 2009.

Kapsch TrafficCom is an international supplier of superior intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Its principle business is the development and supply of electronic toll collection (ETC) systems, in particular for the multi-lane free-flow (MLFF) of the traffic, and the technical and commercial operation of such systems. Kapsch TrafficCom also supplies traffic management systems, with a focus on road safety and traffic control, and electronic access systems and parking management. With approximately 240 references in 39 countries on all 5 continents, and with more than 18 million on-board units (OBUs) delivered and nearly 13,000 lanes equipped, Kapsch TrafficCom has positioned itself among the leading suppliers of ETC systems worldwide. Kapsch TrafficCom is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, and has subsidiaries and representative offices in 25 countries.

For further information please contact:

Brigitte Herdlicka
Public Relations & Sponsoring
Kapsch Group
Am Europlatz 2, 1120 Vienna, Austria
Phone: +43 50 811 1710
E-Mail: brigitte.herdlicka@kapsch.net

Download

press release - 52kb