Is the same not applicable for the ones using currently the ETC Sputnik?
Thought my wife mentioned also getting a 10% discount until we migrate to eTag - within the next 3 months?
Update: I went to the DMV office near me today and got the Etag no problem. Just take the car registration card and your ID/ARC along. Pay at least TWD400 (you can prepay more if you want). Give them a cellphone number so they can send you and sms when your balance gets to TWD120. They stick the sticker on your car for you.
You can check your balance online or using the app for your phone. You can top-up the value at convenience stores or gas stations. The little icons for which ones are on the info sheet they hand you.
Getting rid of booths and making it all electronic is the way to go. Something like the way they do it in Melbourne.
That metal frame in the pic running across the road holds the sensors - no need to slow down, it’s all automatic.
That must be the next step, once everybody gets etags and vehicle plate recognition works.
I wish to live the day Taiwan adapts to a system like cfimages post. (Which also measures average driving speed between poles - as done in the Netherlands - and lands you a ticket without police involvement)
Question: What happens (if allowed) driving with a car (eTag) through the right lane foreseen for busses and trucks? Are you charged higher or is the eTag linked with the cc /model of the vehicle ?
Eventually they will get there, but it needs many implementations due to many politicians wanting their share of ‘sticky money’ … 
I still have NT$1600 worth of credits on my ETC plate recogition account purchased via ibon. What’s the future on this payment platform? Will it be merged with e-tag?
It’s somewhere responded above.
Your credit on the current card can be transferred to the eTag. There was a promo, ending soon offering 10 % discount when migrating before a certain date.
Not sure yet how they will process the deposit on the reader. 
I’m wondering why the etage system is not registered to I.D.'s instead of vehicles? Or for that matter, registered at all. Shouldn’t it be a personal choice whether or not to have to register a card? Why does the government need to track people?
If I purchase a YoYo card, I don’t need to register it to myself, or a vehicle. Can’t the YoYo card be modified to work from within vehicles?
Is this a technology issue, or a government issue? I doubt it’s a security issue as we’ve been purchasing paper credits for years without much complaint about credit theft.
It sounds like this etag system is a clever way of introducing more efficient vehicle tracking, like they have in China.
In China they restrict traffic flow by limiting the usage of roads to certain vehicles with certain plate privileges. Every vehicle is tracked via camera technology at given points along the road, and fines are issued automatically to vehicles which cross certain boundaries at certain times.
Of course the issue in China is that each area has their own independent system. Let’s say you drove from one end of China to the other and didn’t take notice of any restrictions. You would likely receive few or no fines. The next time you make the same trip, the police come out and stop you at every area, as they would be alerted that there was an outstanding fine, given by that municipality which you hadn’t received the last time. I’ve heard this from a few drivers over here, and it sounds like a dumb smart system to be honest.
I’m a little concerned that if this is accurate information I have on the system here, then Taiwan will employ some other style of dumb smart system. Like I said before, average speed cameras would be a first and likely candidate. I’d like to see how many people are very good at calculating their average speed. 
Perhaps vehicles should be fitted with average speedos and odometers to give us some idea?
If one had their own personal payment card, then that would make things easier in many ways. There wouldn’t be the need to calculate who owed what from which point to which point, unless you were borrowing someone’s card.
You would be able to purchase just one card to be used on multiple vehicles.
Foreign visitors could purchase them.
Just some thoughts anyway.
Because if the RFID system malfunctions, number plate recognition serves as a backup. Your account gets debited either way, no matter how the vehicle is identified.
[quote=“cfimages”]Getting rid of booths and making it all electronic is the way to go. Something like the way they do it in Melbourne.
[/quote]
Wrong. Getting rid of booths and making it all FREE (as in F-ing “FREEWAY”) is the way to go. Something like the way they do it in the UK. Not holding my breath though.
As I understand it, this was the original promise when the roads were constructed, and charging was supposed to be a temporary measure. Ha bloody ha.
If they want me to install a spy in the cab they are going to have to force me to do it, black-sheep-at-the-back-of-the-flock-stylee.
I find the enthusiasm for intrusive surveillance expressed above rather depressing.
Baa!
There are tolls on the motorways in the UK. They also charge to enter the central London area.
When I left there was one private venture motorway section near Birmingham (which I’ve never liked anyway). The rest of the motorway system was entirely free.
If that has changed, its unwelcome and slightly surprising news, since I’d have expected a lot of consumer resistance.
I’d have expected them to wait until they could introduce it under cover of some electronic monitoring system for catching “Islamic terrorists/paedophiles/tax disk dodgers”, which allways sells well, probably as a “smart” tax disk.
Is that how it was done?
EDIT: I looked it up. As far as I can tell, tolls remain restricted at this time to the M6 bypass I mention above (which is losing money because people obviously avoid it if they can) and a few bridges.
http://www.cbrd.co.uk/motorway/m6toll/
Of course the gubmint would like to change this, and may get away with it eventually. I hope I havn’t given them any useful tactical hints above, but I’d guess they were already up to speed with those dodges.ENDEDIT
[quote=“Ducked”][quote=“cfimages”]Getting rid of booths and making it all electronic is the way to go. Something like the way they do it in Melbourne.
[/quote]
Wrong. Getting rid of booths and making it all FREE (as in F-ing “FREEWAY”) is the way to go. Something like the way they do it in the UK. Not holding my breath though.
As I understand it, this was the original promise when the roads were constructed, and charging was supposed to be a temporary measure. Ha bloody ha.
If they want me to install a spy in the cab they are going to have to force me to do it, black-sheep-at-the-back-of-the-flock-stylee.
I find the enthusiasm for intrusive surveillance expressed above rather depressing.
Baa![/quote]
Free refers to free-flowing traffic. It’s not related to $0.
Entering Wales there is a toll. Exiting Wales there is no toll. Figure that one out!
No kidding?
No kidding?[/quote]
At least that’s the way I was told years ago.
Charge per amount used is the way to go, that’s the idea with ETC as currently counties charge on entry instead of per km.
They are called motorways in the UK, anyway, not freeways.
Because people in England think “Right, let’s go to Wales.” Then we pay a toll for the privilege of having that bridge on the way in, because on the way out we can’t get out of there fast enough.
The M6 toll is an alternative route. It is not necessary to take it - it is an option that you pay for should you wish to by-pass the already existing roads and associated traffic. The congestion charge is a silly idea, but the reasons for implementing it I believe were genuine.
We have average speed cameras in the UK, but I thing they should be replaced with very good ones.
[quote=“Ducked”][quote=“cfimages”]Getting rid of booths and making it all electronic is the way to go. Something like the way they do it in Melbourne.
[/quote]
Wrong. Getting rid of booths and making it all FREE (as in F-ing “FREEWAY”) is the way to go. Something like the way they do it in the UK. Not holding my breath though.[/quote]
There’s nothing free about any British road. People pay for it one way or another. Tolling is a much more effective way to only demand payment from the people who use a particular stretch, and I’m all for that. I don’t see the point in paying tax for something that I don’t use. Anonymous figures from toll booths are also useful to help determine how to make the road network more effective, and assist in further planning. This can help towards reducing costs and travel time to motorists.
The issues I am concerned about with digitized toll collection however are that the information and toll system itself might be used against the road user and offer the government even more power over the people, to prevent them using roads, or demand higher payments for speeding or usage of public roads.
If they were to drop road tax altogether however and only charge road users for using the road, then I’m all for that. Pay for what you use and no more. Seems pretty fair to me.