“The operation of the new toll system is almost a billion crowns a year cheaper. However that is not the most important part. The Czech government has acquired a system that is flexible and whose expansion onto new toll roads is fast and cheap. As part of construction of a new road infrastructure, it will save additional billions of crowns over the next ten years compared to the original microwave technology,” said Matej Okáli, CzechToll CEO.
By the time the new toll system was launched, CzechToll had registered more than two-thirds of all hauliers that regularly travel on toll roads and motorways in the Czech Republic. 313,335 registered hauliers collected 208,852 on-board units. Hauliers from the Czech Republic registered 119,000 vehicles, i.e. 93% of the total expected number, in the system within ten weeks from the launch of registrations. The first toll transaction in the new system was generated one second after midnight by a Czech car driver on the D52 motorway between Hrušovany and Rajhrad and he was charged 7.17 Czech crowns.
"I would like to thank all partners who helped us to mobilise all our forces and to convince so many hauliers to secure the on-board unit in advance," added Matej Okáli.
Preparedness for possible traffic complications
On Monday morning CzechToll is ready to handle the expected onset of small hauliers from abroad who left the registration or collection of the on-board unit for their first trip to the Czech Republic after 1 December 2019. It invested over 60 million Czech crowns in preventives measures; in the extraordinary circumstances about 700 are staff re involved. At the borders, CzechToll is ready to register 15,000 drivers per day without a new on-board unit, and another 65,000 drivers per day can register their vehicle inland.
The increased activity by small hauliers from the Czech Republic and some foreign countries before the end of the registration period also brought an improvement of the CzechToll traffic model. Although there is still a risk of queues formation at the main border crossings with Slovakia, Poland and Germany, their estimated length is continuing to decrease.
“Our goal is to manage traffic in a way that minimises traffic complications. The capacity of the points of sale is used to the maximum and hauliers have had enough information and time to register. We believe that those responsible will cross Czech borders smoothly, and those less responsible will spend a maximum of a couple of hours,” concluded Okáli.
