Dutch satellite tracking for cars
 

I read this in the AOMC newsletter: Sounds like science fiction to me. The Netherlands govt. are introducing a system for car users . From 2011 every vehicle will be fitted with a satellite tracking device.. you will be charged per kilometre instead of a annual registration fee. Maybe Hanno can tell us more.

Mike

The current system is based on paying high taxes on new cars (some 45%!!! of the total price) and an annual road tax fee based on vehicle weight. Even if you drive 0 km per year, one pays the same amount as someone with the same car driving tens of thousands of kilometers per year.

So what?

Well, we live in one of the most densely populated countries in the world: 16+ million people on 16,000 square miles. In 2007 well over 7 million passenger cars were registered. Our road network is suffering badly from congestion. The Dutch government intends to introduce a different form of payment for mobility. The idea is to introduce a "pay per use" system, i.e. not vehicle ownership will be the basis for payment, but the use of a vehicle. Currently, work is underway to implement plans for charging for the use of all roads: lorries will be charged from 2011 and all vehicles from 2016. The scheme will be GPS-based, requiring around 10 million units by the time charging starts for cars.

There are other options to track vehicles instead of GPS: many driver´s have mobile phones and they are being tracked to ensure network connectivity. The same tracking could be used for payment of road usage.

HTH,
Hanno

Big Brother
 

That seems a little bit too "Big Brother"ish for my liking. Sometimes you don't want anybody to know where you are.

I agree with you David: this sort of stuff is scary.

Mike

Too late
Big brother is allready starting to strike in Australia
gps fitted company vehicles
I was talking to a person on the weekend that received a first warning letter from his company after the company did an audit on the vehicle he was assigned .It was regarding speeding on a stretch of backroad 20kms over designated limit
The companies software tracks all movement ,which routes taken ,jobs assigned ,speeds and times :giveup