Ascendi’s Experience
Index
Ascendi Overview
Ascendi’s Tolling System
. General Architecture
. AET System (MLFF)
Interoperability (Portugal – Spain)
Ascendi Overview
 Activity sector: transport infrastructure management;
 Core business areas: Asset Management, Road and Railway Concessions, Road
Operation and Collection;
 Around $1 Bi assets under management;
 Over 3.000 km of motorways and roads, including 1.500 km operated solely by
Ascendi;
 Participation in the capital of 16 Concessionaires;

Sustained activity in Portugal, Spain, Mexico, Brazil and Mozambique.
Ascendi Overview
Operations in Portugal:
 Network of 1.300 kms operated under the Ascendi brand;
 Strategic assets to promote Ascendi’s sustained development;
 7 Road Concessions under management;
 5 All Electronic Tolling Operations (Multi-Lane-Free-Flow);
 2 Traditional Tolling Operations (manual and electronic);
 1 Shadow Toll Operation;
 All AET Operations as Service Provider to Portuguese Road Agency.
Ascendi’s Tolling Systems – General Architecture
Road Side Equipment
Operational Back-Office
MLFF
. Different Equipment;
. DSRC (high-speed roads);
. Open configuration;
. 126 Tolling Points.
Integrates all tolling operations
(traditional or AET)
Traditional
. Manual and Electronic;
. Open and close config.;
. 25 Toll Plazas.
. Prepared to support RSE and
technologies from different
vendors (DSRC, RFID);
. Transaction validation ( according
to business rules);
. Second level OCR (ALPR and
vehicle class);
. Image review;
. Trip aggregation engine;
. Toll charge calculation;
. Mobile enforcement BO
Commercial Back-Office
Integrates all tolling operations
(traditional or AET)
. Account Management;
. Contact Centre and IVR;
. Walk-in centre customer
service support;
. Dispute management;
. CRM
. Billing and notice issuing;
. Dunning management;
. Violator web-portal;
. Payment processing;
. Reporting (BI);
. External Interface (links)
Ascendi’s Tolling Systems – General Architecture
Road Side Equipment
Operational Back-Office
Commercial Back-Office
Benefits achieved:
•
Processes harmonization and business optimization (business model independence –
direct toll collection; toll as a service)
•
Independence from the Road Side Equipment vendors and technologies (different
technologies already used (DSRC, ALPR, Traditional, all from different vendors, all
integrated);
•
Different Charging Schemas supported (traditional, SLFF, AET, open or closed systems);
•
Geography independence (operations in several countries);
•
Awards:
Ascendi’s Tolling Systems – General Architecture
Road Side Equipment
Operational Back-Office
Commercial Back-Office
Facts and figures:
. More than 3.2M OBU’s issued by Portuguese Issuer;
. More than 60% of all Portuguese cars are equipped with an OBU;
. Transactions
. 80% ETC, 11% VTC, 9% Manual
. 0,7M transactions processed per day;
. 1.7M customer accounts managed;
. Invoices / notices
. 42,5k processed per business day;
. 5,2M km (aggregate distance travelled by all users) charged per
day;
Ascendi’s Tolling Systems – AET System (MLFF)
Dimension
→ Europe’s leader as private operator of a multi-vehicle
category AET (MLFF);
→ Total of 126 tolling points (TP) in operation:
Feasibility
Operational Flexibility
→
→
→
→
High speed motorways – DSRC technology
More than 99,99% system availability
99,80% of vehicles detection (no speed restriction)
Disaster Recovery System for OBO and CBO
→ Electronic Tolling using OBU identification;
→ Video Tolling, using ALPR in association with OCR
engine;
Transaction Aggregation
→ Unitary transactions of a journey aggregated into a
single transaction, where:
→ Client sees the travelled journey;
→ Transaction costs get optimized;
Ascendi’s Tolling Systems – AET System (MLFF)
Payment Methods
Payment
Methods
Primary Collection (without surcharges):
•
Fully Electronic payment using OBU.
•
Generally supported on contract between client and OBU
Issuer (debit card associated);
•
Pre-payment system with client identification.
•
Anonym pre-payment system admitted.
Secondary Collection (with additional administrative costs)
-
Enforced
Collection
Anonymous post-payment system using license plate
recognition/video tolling, available for payment at Post Offices
and Payshop network.
Enforced Collection for non payment (with additional administrative
costs and fines – fiscal offense);
Mobile Enforcement.
Interoperability with Spain for vehicles equipped with Spanish OBU’s;
Foreigners
Easy-Toll system (automatic registration at the borders, using credit
card account);
Electronic Vignette (casual user).
Interoperability
Nationwide Interoperability
• ETC was introduced in Portugal in 1991 by the sole Portuguese operator
at that time;
• After 1999 Road Portuguese market was opened to other operators. The
new concession contracts required compatibility between the electronic
tolling systems  National Interoperability – technical (DSRC – LDR) and
commercial - was accomplished;
• In 2004 European Commission legislates on Technical Interoperability of
Tolling Systems within European States (Directive 2004/52/EC – DSRC
and GNSS + GSM are admitted);
• With the introduction (2010) of the AET Systems (MLFF) a technical
migration (from DSRC LDR to DSRC LDR + MDR) was made  Technical
conditions to interoperate with other European countries was achieved.
Interoperability
International Interoperability (Portugal – Spain)
• Until 2010 there was no international interoperability between Portugal
and Spain;
• With the introduction of AET Systems in Portugal all Portuguese ETC
Systems have evolved to full technical compatibility with European
Directive (new OBU technology);
• However, during 2 years, foreign vehicles only use in AET Systems
alternative payment means supported in ALPR technologies (pre-paid
vignettes or post-paid based on credit card);
• Two years operating a large network of AET Systems connecting Portugal
and Spain clearly show how necessary it was having an easy tolling
method  International Interoperability became imperative;
• Since October 2012 it is being installed electronic interoperability
between Portugal and Spain (Spanish vehicles represents around 42% of
foreign vehicles in Portugal).
• Full Interoperability between all ETC Systems of the two Nations is
expected by 4th quarter 2013.
Interoperability
International Interoperability (Portugal – Spain)
• In October 2012 a Pilot Project started to test Spanish and Portuguese
OBU’s in each country;
Portugal
Spain
OBU issuer
Via Verde
Portugal
NGB (bank)
RESSA (non
financial)
Geographical
scope
AP9 (Galiza
All ETC Systems
are located in the Region), [Audasa]
north of Portugal
[Ascendi, Brisa,
Cintra]
Number of
users
50
> 200
Interoperability
Pilot Test Operational Model
Spanish OBU’s in Portugal
Spanish OBU Issuers
RESSA
NGB
1 – Black Lists
3 – Transactions
5 – Acceptance / non
acceptance transactions
Portuguese OBU
Issuer
VVP
2 – Black Lists
3 – Transactions
Portuguese
Concessionaires
Portuguese OBU’s in Spain
1 – Black Lists
2 – Black Lists
AP9 (RSE)
2 – Transactions
Spanish Concession
Audasa
3 – Transactions
5 – Acceptance / non
acceptance transactions
Portuguese OBU
Issuer
VVP
Interoperability
Pilot Test Financial Model
Spanish OBU’s in Portugal
Spanish
User
1 – Payment
Spanish OBU
Issuers
RESSA
NGB
2 – Invoice
3 – Money Transfer
Portuguese
OBU Issuer
VVP
4 – Money Transfer
Portuguese
Concessions
Portuguese OBU’s in Spain
2 – Invoice
Spanish Concession
Audasa
3 – Money transfer
Portuguese OBU
Issuer
VVP
1 – Payment
Portuguese User
VVP Client
Interoperability
International Interoperability (Portugal – Spain)
• Pilot Project ended 2nd Quarter 2013;
• In June 2013 Spanish OBUS’s from various manufacturers officially
started to circulate in the Portuguese motorways;
•
Portuguese OBU’s will start circulate in Spain in 4th Quarter 2013;
• The operating model adopted is similar to the one of the Pilot; in
Portugal, OBU Issuer Via Verde concentrates the relationship, acting as a
clearing house; in Spain the same is done by 2 / 3 ETC Issuers (Ressa,
NGB, other);
• Vehicles from other countries can use other products available (MLFF)
based in ALPR technology.
Interoperability
International Interoperability (Portugal –Spain)
• Facts and figures:
Portugal
Spain
OBU technology
DSCR 5.8Ghz, MDR, EC
compliant
DSRC 5.8Ghz, MDR, PISTA
compliant
Antennas technology
Multireader (LDR + MDR)
PISTA
OBU Issuers
1
54 (financial)
8 (non financial)
Concessionaires
19
34
Risk of credit
Concessionaire
OBU Issuer
Invoices
OBU Issuer (1)
Financial on request
Non Financial
Thank You
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