Countries around the world are asking the same questions when it comes to the future of roading infrastructure funding and safety, EROAD chief executive Steven Newman says.
The New Zealand-based transport technology company was recently asked to present at a regional transport connectivity forum in Podgorica, Montenegro.
The International Road Federation (IRF) invited the firm to attend with EROAD global market developer senior vice president Nina Elter making the presentation
Newman says it “was an honour” for the company to be invited and share its story.
The forum gave government ministers and transport authorities from across Eastern Europe an opportunity to learn about international transport investments in regional connectivity and economic development.
Attendees got to hear about EROAD’s story in pioneering technology which has so far collected NZ$2.5 billion for the New Zealand Transport Agency and delivered safety benefits to many commercial fleets.
Around 46% of heavy vehicle road user charges in New Zealand are now collected through EROAD.
Elter showed how the company’s single source platform has simplified and reduced administration costs of regulatory services, and provided alternative options for infrastructure funding, simultaneously delivering commercial benefits to transport operators.
For example, off-road refunds are more transparent and easily calculated, enabling road user charges to be made in manageable increments.
The system has been engineered to provide solutions for both regulatory and commercial operators in North America, Australia, and New Zealand.
Fuel tax revenues have traditionally been the foundation of government funding for transport infrastructure however these are declining as vehicles transition to environmentally sustainable alternatives.
Automated vehicles will affect other funding sources like licensing and parking fees, creating funding gaps at a time when supply chain logistics is increasing distances travelled. The road transport industry already operates in a highly competitive and regulated environment, with low margins
The IRF have also invited Nina Elter and EROAD’s director of analytics Gareth Robins, to speak at the IRF Global ‘Roads to Tomorrow’ conference in Las Vegas in November.
