Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The State-owned Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) willimplement automatic non-stop toll collection (ETC) on all five expresswaysunder its management across the country by the third quarter this year.

VEC has just reported to the Ministry of Transport on the ETC system for theexpressways under its management.

Accordingly, VEC had completed the investment, installation and operation ofthe ETC system on the Cau Gie - Ninh Binh Expressway from June 2020 for 15lanes.

The system is currently operating effectively, with the service rate accountingfor 51 percent of the whole line's revenue.

The remaining expressways include Noi Bai - Lao Cai, HCM City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay,Ben Luc - Long Thanh, Da Nang - Quang Ngai and some other sections of Cau Gie -Ninh Binh.

VEC approved and issued bidding documents for selecting ETC service providersfrom May this year.

It was expected that the VEC would close the bid on May 25 and complete thecontractor selection on June 30.

After selecting the contractor, the VEC will request it install the ETC systemso that by mid-August the system is in operation for the Cau Gie - Ninh Binh andHCM City - Long Thanh - Dau Giay expressways. And by the end of September, theETC will be applied to all the expressways operated by VEC.

Previously, the Ministry of Transport reported to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinhon the progress of implementing the ETC on VEC-invested highway projects.

VEC selected the option of hiring companies to provide investment and operationservices for ETC on the highways managed by the VEC.

With this option, the cost of service hire is taken from the current tollmanagement cost by the VEC, ensuring the progress under the direction of theGovernment on investing ETC system by the second quarter of this year and notaffecting the VEC’s financial plan.

The Commission for the Management of State Capital at Enterprises then issued adocument confirming the VEC's proposal of deploying the procedures for hiring apackage service of ETC and manual toll collection operation was necessary andsuitable with the financial plan for five VEC projects.

However, the commission requested the VEC study and set up ETC projects foreach VEC project according to the approval of the ministries of Information andCommunications, Finance, and Transport.

Currently, the VEC has consulted the ministries of Information andCommunications and Finance but has not yet received instructions.

The VEC approved the plan to hire toll collection services and a contractorselection plan to ensure progress./.