Since the beginning of 2001 an electronic fee collection system (EFC) for kilometre charging for heavy vehicles in Switzerland is in operation. The fee (called LSVA) is levied on vehicles exceeding 3.5 tonnes of authorised weight and is proportional to the distance driven on all roads. The fee additionally depends on the maximum laden weight and on the emission values of the vehicle. LSVA is collected with the help of sophisticated on-board units that make use of a variety of technologies including DSRC and GPS. The vehicle tachograph is employed as the basic technology for distance registration. The LSVA has three goals: (1) the external costs of freight transport are being internalised; (2) it will help to finance the project of the new transalpine railroad tunnels; (3) it is an important instrument for encouraging the transfer of goods from road to rail. The paper tells how the EFC system functions and to what an extent the goals of the LSVA system have been met. For the covering abstract see ITRD E135448.
Abstract