RT-Invest Transport Systems LLC and Gazprombank have signed an acquiring agreement which will allow Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) System users to pay by bank cards across all ETC payment outlets. To offset the damage that 12+ tonnes HGVs cause to Russian Federal Highways, owners of these vehicles will be able to pay the toll charges, by cards issued by any bank, at the System’s online Customer Portal, at Toll Collect Terminals (bearing a PLATON logo) and third-party payment terminals. For the users’ convenience, there will also be POS terminals at Toll Service Offices.
Alexey Belous, Executive Director and Head of Gazprombank Department for project and structured financing, says: “HGV owners will have this convenient and reliable tool which will make ETC payments much easier. In the long run, successful implementation and operation of the ETC System is strategically important for our state, as it will allow to set aside extra funding for road repairs and maintenance. That’s why this project is so significant for our Bank”.
Alexander Sovetnikov, Director General of RT-Invest Transport Systems LLC, says that the main task of the ETC Operator is to make the system easy to use. “Modern client-oriented systems must provide a comprehensive choice of payment instruments”, Sovetnikov explains. “Reliable banking support is a key element in the ETC System. The agreement that we’ve signed with one of the banking industry leaders will guarantee convenient and high-quality service for our users”.
Customer Service Portal at www.platon.ru website allows any 12+tonnes HGV Owner to pre-register in the ETC System. To do that, an Owner must fill in an online form, submit an electronic copy of the Vehicle Registration Certificate, enter the particulars of certain supporting documents (different sets will be required for private individuals, sole traders or companies registered in Russia or abroad), and undergo a data check. As the system goes live, preregistered user will be able to top-up their account balances or purchase Toll Tickets via the Customer Portal. HGV Owners and their vehicles are added to the Register free of charge.
Gazprombank is one of the biggest universal financial institutions in Russia, delivering a wide range of banking, financial and investment services and products to corporate and private clients, financial institutions, institutional and private investors. The Bank’s key performance indicators place it among the top three banks in Russia; it is also the third-largest bank in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of capital base.
Gazprombank works with companies and enterprises in key sectors of the Russian economy. Retail banking is another strategically important business dimension for the Bank, and it grows steadily. Gazprombank is well-established on Russian and international financial markets as one of the Russian leaders in bond issuance and underwriting, corporate finance and other investment banking activities. Gazprombank has around 4 million individual and 45,000 corporate clients. The Bank currently operates seven subsidiaries and affiliates in Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Switzerland and Luxembourg. It has offices in Astana (Kazakhstan), Ulan-Bator (Mongolia) and New Delhi (India). Gazprombank’s Russian regional network comprises 32 affiliates, extending from Kaliningrad in the west to Youzhno-Sakhalinsk in the Far East of the country, as well as more than 500 branches providing high quality banking services. Gazprombank is a member of ICC’s Russian National Committee. More detailed information is available at www.gazprombank.ru
RT-Invest Transport Systems LLC is a special purpose entity acting under a Concession Agreement with the Russian Federation as represented by the Federal Road Agency (Government Directive No 1662-r of 29 August 2014). Within this agreement, RT-Invest Transport Systems oversees the Electronic Toll Collection infrastructure. The project is a life cycle contract type, whereby the Concessionaire uses its own and borrowed funds to create the ETC system, to operate and maintain it. RT-Invest Transport Systems, as the ETC Operator, is responsible for all aspects of the ETC set-up and operations: design, installation and launch, operation and maintenance, and necessary upgrades. The project implementation period is 13 years from the date of the Concession Agreement (29 September 2014).
