Can cars without ETC use highways?
2 Answers
It is possible to use highways without ETC. According to Article 19 of the "Notice on Vigorously Promoting the Development and Application of ETC on Expressways" issued by the State Council, vehicles without ETC by 2020 cannot enjoy toll discounts. In the future, only one manual lane will be retained at highway toll stations, and tolls can only be paid through manual channels. Additionally, newly installed ETC devices cannot be used on highways immediately; they must be activated before normal use. During free holiday periods, highways can still be used. For users who have already installed ETC, passing through ETC lanes will not incur charges. ETC Deduction Principles: There will be one or more ETC lanes on highways. Through microwave-specific short-range communication between the vehicle-mounted electronic tag installed on the windshield and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane at the toll station, computer networking technology is used to conduct background settlement with banks. This achieves the goal of vehicles paying tolls without stopping at highway toll stations, all based on the principle of passing first and deducting fees later. Benefits of Installing ETC: Time-saving: Eliminates the hassle of waiting in line; Green and eco-friendly: Low-carbon, vehicles pass through toll stations without stopping, reducing noise and exhaust emissions and minimizing pollution; Reduced wear: Saves costs, decreases the frequency of vehicle starts and brakes, and reduces wear and fuel consumption; Improved efficiency: The theoretical efficiency of ETC lanes can be increased by 2-3 times or more, making traditional ETC more updated, faster, and more high-tech. Compared to license plate payment, ETC technology is more mature and advantageous. More policy support: The State Council explicitly stated in the "13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of a Modern Comprehensive Transportation System" that "by 2020, the interoperability of transportation cards in key city clusters will be basically achieved, and the proportion of vehicles equipped with ETC will be significantly increased." It also set a clear target in the main indicators of the "13th Five-Year" comprehensive transportation development: "by 2020, the ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles will reach 50%." More future possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage and the ETC adoption rate for passenger vehicles, future efforts will include promoting ETC use for trucks and exploring the deep integration of the ETC system with smart transportation directions such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-road coordination. This will provide car owners with comprehensive travel services, meaning more application scenarios will support ETC applications.
Back when I first started driving, there weren't many ETC devices on the roads, yet I still managed to travel far and wide on highways. Fellow drivers without ETC, don't panic—just look for the signs at the highway entrance, where dedicated manual lanes are set up for you. When it's time to pay, simply stop your car and use cash or scan a QR code with your phone. That said, I have to admit, during peak hours, these manual lanes can get terribly congested, with long queues eating up time and testing your patience. After installing ETC, it's been a breeze—the lanes are lightning-fast. I highly recommend frequent highway users to get one—it aligns with policy and offers discounts. Not having ETC won't stop you from using the highway, but the experience is far from ideal. I remember last year seeing an entrance with a queue stretching over a hundred meters—all vehicles without ETC. Installing the device early makes travel more convenient and efficient.
