Platon (toll system)

Platon (Russian: Платон) is an electronic toll collection system established in Russia in November 2015. The toll is collected from trucks over 12 tons, with the proceedings going to a federal fund for road maintenance.[1] A subsidiary of the state-owned Rostec corporation holds a 50% stake in the collection system operator, with the Putin-associated Rotenberg oligarchs owning the other half.[2]

Originally scheduled for launch in 2013, the first detailed technical study for the implementation of the nationwide truck tolling system envisioned the construction of microwave-based gantries on all road segments of all major highways in the Russian Federation, similar to the system implemented in Austria in 2004.[3] Once it was decided to implement the system using GNSS road pricing rather than an infrastructure-based solution, the tolled road network applied to all the National Roads for a total length of 50,000 km - making it the largest single tolling system in the world.

The objective of the Platon system is to offset the damage caused by heavy trucks to the country's major highways.[1] As of April 2017, road users who drive vehicles included in the scheme are required to pay a levy of 1.90 rubles ($0.03) per kilometer.[4] Rosavtodor, the Russian federal agency for road transport, asserts that 58% of the damage to roads is caused by heavy trucks.[1] Revenues from the system amounted to 22 billion rubles in 2016.[5]

The implementation of the system sparked protest among truck drivers across Russia, especially in the Dagestan region.[6] Most truckers in Russia own and operate their vehicles as independent contractors, and many fear the levy will render their business unprofitable.[7] According to independent Russian media, the operation of the Platon system is considered to be unfair and ineffective, with reports that up to 70% of the trucks avoid paying the distance-based fees.[8]

See also

References
  1. Kuchma, Anna (28 July 2015). "New tolls on heavy trucks to raise funds for road repairs in Russia". Russia Beyond The Headlines. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  2. "Kremlin claims there was no string pulling in Platon system operator choice". TASS (in Russian). Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  3. Schindler, Norbert (2011). "Satellite Tolling: Look to the skies" (PDF). Tolling Review, (H3B Media), Vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 16-19.
  4. "About The ETC System". Platon. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  5. ""Платон" собрал 22 млрд рублей, но все равно недобрал". auto.vesti.ru. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  6. "The latest protest Moscow is trying to ignore: Thousands of angry truckers". Washington Post. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  7. "Russian truckers drive a hard bargain". Politico. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  8. Bakin, Ignat (18 November 2020). "«Дорожный оброк» Системе Платон 5 лет. Подводим итоги: друзья Путина обогатились, дальнобойщики обнищали". znak.com.
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