Czech company W.A.G. payment solutions, a.s., conducting business under the Eurowag brand, has entered into talks with the Ministry of Transport in order to acquire status as a provider of the European Electronic Toll Service (EETS). This step is an essential prerequisite in order for Eurowag to proceed with accreditation of its services in individual EU countries. Europe expects to submit the official request no later than by 20th June.
“EETS is committed to eliminate the technological and administrative barriers currently faced by transport businesses. Such businesses have to meet various conditions in each country to pay for toll and equip vehicles with several on-board units. As such, carriers transporting goods across Europe will, in future, be able to equip vehicles with just one on-board unit (so-called OBU) and enter into just one contract with a provider of European toll services,” CEO at W.A.G payment solutions Martin Vohánka explains.
EETS service providers typically comprise companies which until now have been offering toll through their products (fleet cards), whereby the service also encompasses comprehensive services for communication users, above all for transport companies. It involves direct collection of toll and payment to the toll operator, securing credit risks and exchanging registration-related and other data with the toll system provider. Added to this list, the EETS service provider subsequently also offers development and operation of its own on-board units.
The EETS initiative is a project performed based on the legislative framework of the European Union. “EETS has been faced with a range of technological and legislative challenges right from the start and individual participants frequently display a lack of interest in completing the project. Albeit with some considerable delay, the project is now turning into reality with several countries already putting it into operation, with others in the advanced phase of implementation. Eurowag is currently the fifth organisation to show interest in provider status,” Martin Vohánka adds.
So far status as a provider of European toll services has been granted to four companies – two French, one Italian and one German. The EETS service is in operation or will soon be launched in Belgium, Austria, France, Denmark, Sweden and Spain.
Set up in 1996, W.A.G. payment solutions, a.s. (“Eurowag”) is a leading provider of payment solutions for professional transport and haulier companies in Europe. With a passion for innovation and a deep understanding of customer needs, Eurowag offers fuel cards, toll payment solutions as well as sophisticated services in the areas of tax refunds in Europe and Turkey. With a turnover of more than 1 billion Euros, Eurowag has been achieving growth of 25% annually.
Eurowag offers a comprehensive range of payment solutions for various market segments: Eurowag One for large international transport companies, the prepaid Eurowag Easy card, the Eurowag Vector designed especially for hauliers, Eurowag Fleet for passenger cars and Eurowag MasterCard, a prepaid card intended for paying other journey costs.
Eurowag is based in Prague with its regional representation in Austria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Turkey. More information can be found on www.eurowag.com.
