TRL led consortium wins Dutch National Road Pricing Research Project

Against strong international competition, a consortium led by TRL has been awarded a contract from the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management for research into the accuracy and reliability of satellite based road user charging systems.

This study will be conducted as part of a wider research program in preparation of a future implementation of nation wide distance based charging system in the Netherlands. The results of this study will give the Dutch Ministry insights on satellite based road user charging systems as a possible means of implementation of distance based charging.

TRL, with its world-class experience in vehicle trials and project management, will work closely with partner Building Capital, a specialist technical service provider, who focus exclusively on road user charging research, charging scheme design and systems implementation. Both companies will be operationally supported locally by ARS Traffic and Transport Technology in the Netherlands.

The proposed Dutch road charging scheme envisages charging all vehicles based on the total distance driven, whereby the charge is differentiated according to time, place and vehicle characteristics. It will be Europe’s first national road user charging system that extends to all passenger cars, comprising over 8 million vehicles in total. Previous charging schemes in Switzerland and Germany have been limited to lorries on motorways.

A number of different on-board units and their associated charging systems will be evaluated, to identify the accuracy of distance charging and availability. The trials will specifically look to identify how the various systems will address the technological and location-based challenges of the Dutch travel profile and the likelihood of them meeting the scheme’s comprehensive requirements. Most notable of these is the need for a low cost system and costs for ongoing operation and enforcement of the schemes of less than 5% of revenue.

All road charging system vendors will be invited to participate in the trial, from which a shortlist will be drawn up. Those who are successful in this process will begin on-road trials over pre-planned routes in June.

Tim Strong, TRL’s Project Manager said; “We are delighted to have won this project and to be working with Building Capital who have significant Road Pricing experience. Their state of the art reference systems and analysis capability will be invaluable in providing in-depth analysis to the Dutch Ministry.”