At the end of January 2008 Logina d.o.o. successfully completed the execution of the project of pilot testing electronic toll collection in traffic free flow according to the GNSS/CN system, as awarded by the Ministry of Transport of the RS. The system had to ensure fair payment of toll according to actual use or travelled distance, the complete anonymity of users or rather vehicles and interoperability between different European systems with base technologies that is mandated by Directive 2004/52/EU.

Figure 1: Executing the project of pilot testing

The goals of the Pilot project were:

• to present a business model of a new tolling system,
• to present a manner of toll collection,
• to give special attention to protection of privacy,
• to give special attention to interoperability inside the EU,
• to prove that the system of electronic toll collection in traffic free flow according to the GNSS/CN works,
• to formulate proposals for regulatory changes (legal basis),
• to give recommendations for a new tolling system.

In the twelve months that the Pilot project was running Logina did its best to test and present as many different solutions in all areas of electronic tolling in traffic free flow.

To this end we:

• presented two different tolling device prototypes,
• presented two different business models,
• on the basis of the findings of the Pilot project we suggested a third Business model for Slovenia’s electronic tolling system,
• developed three different control centres connected among each other and a unique application for each of them,
• developed a flexible model of an electronic map that enables tolling a whole network of roads (motorways, regional roads, towns, parking lots, tunnels, overpasses...) and is not limited only to the Slovene area, but can cover a whole region, Europe or the world;
• performed testing in the whole area of the Republic of Slovenia,
• generated over 700 virtual toll points,
• entered over 10.000 different tariffs for them (each toll station has six different tariffs according to time, for each vehicle category),
• detected over 45.000 crossings of toll and control points,
• travelled over 240.000 kilometres,
• filled out over 2.300 test pages,
• presented the final test at the conclusion of phase 3 in a report, where we tested system reliability which was 100%.

The results of he proposed project are very promising and among other things they confirm that it is possible and logical to implement such tolling in Slovenia. Tolling toll roads would be fairer after the implementation of the proposed system, the flow of traffic on toll roads would increase and amounts of environmentally harmful exhaust gases would be reduced. The solution enables the implementation of other innovative solutions in its upgrades such as payment of parking fees, environmental charges for driving in national parks, emergency calls in the event of an accident, etc. The proposed system is completely Europe oriented (it is in accordance with all European directives and projects whose goal it is to implement interoperability between different tolling systems of EU members) and can be integrated into the foreseen all European tolling system (EETS).

The portrayed system of electronic tolling used satellite technology that operates according to the GNSS/CN system (Global Navigational Satellite System / Cellular Networks), which is based on an intelligent device in the vehicle called OBU (On-Board Unit). It is one of the possible technological versions for tolling in traffic free flow that will be a basic part of the all European tolling system in the near future.

The basis for the implementation of the new tolling system was given in the European directive nr. 2004/52/EC. The Slovene government has given out its view on this in its “Action plan for the implementation of an electronic tolling system in traffic free flow with conditions for interoperability in the EU”. The European directive foresees the division of function of toll collection from the function of offering this service which guided us in the execution of the Pilot project.

As this should be a market based system we foresaw that most likely there will be several companies in Slovenia that will offer the service of inclusion into the tolling system and representation in payment traffic between users (people obligated to pay toll ) and toll collectors (toll creditors) to potential users. In the last Business model which we presented in the Pilot project we foresaw that the Provider, as we call such a company, will open a tolling account (that will be pre and post payment) for the user and will surrender into use the OBU device. When interoperability will be implemented the user can only have one contract with the selected provider, and he will be able to travel on almost all tolling roads of the European Union without stopping.

There must be a Toll collector on the other side that is a company or an organisation that in the name of a road owner collects toll for them.

Na drugi strani mora biti Pobiralec cestnin, torej podjetje ali kakšna druga organizacija, ki v imenu lastnika ceste zanj pobira cestnino.

Figure 2: Events in the tolling process. Numbered events (black colour) follow each other in the numbered order, the others occur in regular (red colour) or irregular or unscheduled (blue colour) periods.

The execution of tolling that was presented in the Pilot project is done with the aid of the OBU device which is installed in the vehicle and takes care of transferring data that are the basis on which the amount of toll is calculated. The OBU device uses satellite positioning to determine where the vehicle is travelling and when it determines it is using a tolling road this is communicated to the Toll collector via GPRS communication. It also sends data of the vehicle toll class and then the Toll collector calculates the amount of toll. The claim for payment is forwarded to the Provider of the user in question who then pays the requested toll. Toll is therefore not calculated in the device, the device only sends relevant data for calculation to the appropriate address in the chosen moments.

The OBU device differentiates tolling from non-tolling roads with the aid o a special tolling map that is in its memory. The OBU has a built in mechanism for updating the tolling map because of changes in this type of data.

Tolling control needs to be implemented to ensure that all regulations are followed in the tolling system. Tolling control was divided into two groups in the Pilot project; automated control devices and intervention units with human crews. In both events their primary task was checking the users of tolling roads, mainly if they have a working OBU device or in general if the toll is paid. What type of authorisation tolling supervisors will have and in what way their job will be performed was presented in the final report of the Pilot project, where we had to give suggestions regarding new legislation.

Figure 3: Example of an automated control device

Directive 2004/52/EU states that all tolling systems must be non-discriminatory. If any given country states that the OBU device is not mandatory, it must have an alternative manner of paying toll. The Pilot project presented payment of toll through a ticket vending machine or via a web page as an alternative manner of toll payment. Implementing the alternative manner is up to each member state. Despite the fact that the user should not have to stop on a tolling road, the user must take care of toll payment by himself.

We foresaw two ways for alternative payment of toll in The Pilot project. The first manner is by announcing and paying a route through the internet (this service would be offered by the Providers), the other would be purchasing a daily or route ticket at ticket vending machines which would stand at selected spots (this service would be offered by Toll collectors).

The OBU devices can be considered as an aid for tolling, which will make paying toll easier. We will not have to worry about payment and storage of receipts; we can just sit in our vehicle and travel.

Figure 4: OBU device prototype that was used in The Pilot project

The amount of privacy that will actually have to be sacrificed by the users of the new tolling system will very much depend on the complexity of the system. The Pilot project that was executed by Logina paid special attention to the protection of privacy of users as demanded by the public tender. This was done by separating the function of toll collection (which is executed by Toll collectors) from the function of offering services of assisting in payments (which is executed by Providers).

The user entrusts his personal data to the selected Provider upon signing the contract, the Provider gives him the OBU device, which identifies itself outwardly only by its identification number. When a user uses a tolling road with his OBU device, he sends tolling data to the Toll collector (and not the Provider!). The Toll collector can’t not who is using his tolling road form the ID number, but he knows what routes were travelled. The calculated amount is sent to the provider who knows whom to bill (which user) for this amount but does not know the routes the user travelled.

The Provider knows who his users are, but he does not know where they travel, on the other hand the toll collector knows which ID numbers of OBU devices were on his road, but does not know to whom they belong.

The Pilot project was truly successfully completed. Logina is continuing its work in the field of electronic toll collection with the new knowledge and experiences.

Figure 5: DSRC module applied units