China is to launch a national unified electronic toll collection (ETC) system in 2015 in a bid to solve freeway congestion, save logistics cost and cut emissions.
The national ETC network will be primarily completed by the end of 2015 based on a regional system that will cover 14 provinces by this year end, said Xu Chengguang, spokesman of the Ministry of Transport (MOT).
The ministry expects around 25 percent of passenger cars to be equipped with transponders and all toll stations along major expressways will be included.
China currently has 260 million vehicles, but only 13 million users pay toll fees via ETC system, data showed.
"An ETC lane is equal to five other lanes where tolls are collected manually as transit time is cut to three seconds from 14 seconds," Wang Gang, director of the ETC centre, said, "It can substantially ease traffic jams."
The national ETC network will be primarily completed by the end of 2015 based on a regional system that will cover 14 provinces by this year end, said Xu Chengguang, spokesman of the Ministry of Transport (MOT).
The ministry expects around 25 percent of passenger cars to be equipped with transponders and all toll stations along major expressways will be included.
China currently has 260 million vehicles, but only 13 million users pay toll fees via ETC system, data showed.
"An ETC lane is equal to five other lanes where tolls are collected manually as transit time is cut to three seconds from 14 seconds," Wang Gang, director of the ETC centre, said, "It can substantially ease traffic jams."
