Minister of Transport Nguyễn Văn Thể. — Photo zing.vn

HÀ NỘI — Investors in Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contracts will be asked to stop collecting fees if they don’t apply electronic toll collection (ETC) by the end of the year.

Minister of Transport Nguyễn Văn Thể made the statement at a meeting to review the progress of installation of ETC systems held in Hà Nội on Wednesday.

Regarding to the ETC under the Build-Own-Operate (BOO) format, the minister asked agencies under his management to complete all procedures to sign contracts with the investor – a joint venture between the VETC Việt Nam Joint Stock Company and TASCO Joint Stock Company.

The also urged the Directorate for Roads of Việt Nam to finish international bidding work to select investors for BOO projects including toll stations on National Highway 1 and Hồ Chí Minh Highway crossing through the Central Highlands.

He proposed agencies review and amend Circular 49 on the organisation and operation of road toll booths, and amend Decree 46 on penalties for administrative violations in the field of road and rail transport so that priority will be given to vehicles with ETC tags.

There are more than 3 million cars nationwide but less than 1 million are equipped with E-tags.

To speed up the progress, Thể said the ministry would submit a report to the Prime Minister suggesting all public vehicles install E-tags. Accordingly, all public cars from central to local level had to complete by June 30.

The ministry will work with localities to figure out an E-tag that could travel through all stations to encourage them use ETC and increase the transparency for toll collection, he said. — VNS