E-toll launch stuck in neutral

The launch of an electronic toll system on some public roads and at tunnels was yesterday delayed to May 7 - more than two months behind the planned February 26 launch - as almost one in two drivers have not registered.

To help drivers apply for the e-toll system the Transport Department will set up over 20 assistance counters across the city this month.

Owners can apply for a free vehicle tag, open an HKeToll account, link the account to their vehicles, set up an auto-payment method and update their contact information at the counters.

The e-toll system makes use of the radio frequency identification and automatic car plate recognition technologies to charge drivers for tolls without them having to stop.

Drivers must attach a tag to their vehicles so that when using tunnels they will be detected by RFI-scanning equipment at the facilities.

The system will deduct the toll from a pre-set payment account and notify the driver.

Authorities were supposed to launch the free-flow tolling service at the Tsing Sha control area covering the Eagle's Nest, Sha Tin Heights and Tai Wai tunnels in two weeks for smooth traveling.

Hong Kong has some 800,000 registered vehicle owners. But as of noon yesterday only 430,000 vehicle tags had been distributed.

Commissioner for Transport Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said authorities had decided to postpone the launch of the e-toll system after looking at the number of registered drivers and upon receiving feedback from taxi drivers and others.

"We hope the postponement can buy more time for drivers to familiarize themselves with the HKeToll scheme, so they can get the vehicle tags and set up accounts," she said.

But Law said the postponement will not affect the authorities' target to fully introduce HKeToll at all government-run tunnels by year's end.

She went on to say the Tsing Sha control area sees a daily volume of 60,000 vehicles, with 15 percent of them taxis.

People who drive for a living including cabbies can split payments among themselves on the HKeToll app.

They can also register for driver cards, which also comes with RFI technology for tunnel scanners to identify the person behind the wheel of a taxi. The driver cards are sold at HK$120 each, which Law said is the production cost of the card.

By yesterday, she said, the department had issued e-toll tags to over 11,000 taxis, and some 23,000 cabbies had bought a driver card or split the toll via the mobile app and "they are ready to use the HKeToll service anytime."

Ringo Lee Yiu-pui, president of the Hong Kong Automobile Association, welcomed the postponement and suggested authorities provide a detailed timeline on when e-toll services will be extended to specific tunnels.

Authorities were trying to implement the services too hastily and did not allow sufficient time for people to apply for tags, he said.

Lee also said e-toll services have been widely adopted overseas, but Hong Kong lags in the advances.

"Not even all drivers are using autotoll," he said.

He suggested authorities keep some toll payment counters operating for a while to allow time for drivers to adapt to the change.

Legislator Ben Chan Han-pan of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong said the short notice of the changes had not taken into consideration the "digital gap" faced by elderly drivers and their unfamiliarity with smart technologies.

So he called for authorities to step up promotion and simplify registration procedures.

Meanwhile, toll collectors being laid off at the Tsing Sha control area complained of confusing arrangements.

They were originally told to work until March 10, and many found new jobs. But authorities notified them yesterday morning the date would be pushed back.