A kilometre-based road-user charge system: proof-of-concept study

摘要

The vehicle tracking experiment has shown that the suggested configuration of the system is operationally feasible on a small scale in South Africa. A removable on-board GPS unit with GSM technology was acquired from a thirdparty tracking company. Installation was quick and the service was easy to use. Information pertaining to the vehicle's movement was secure and only available to the participant and researcher via a web-based interface. Vehicle travel data was readily available in the correct format for analysis, and a road user invoice could be constructed with ease, charging the vehicle owner for the distance travelled at a set rate per kilometre. Future research is needed to assess the operational and technical feasibility of a KBRUC system on a larger scale, as scaling issues are critical to the implementation of such a system. Additional policy, social and equity concerns also still need to be investigated and addressed. This includes setting fee levels properly, as well as understanding road users' responses to the acceptability and experience of using such a system.