Is it okay to have ETC installed but not use it?
2 Answers
It is acceptable to have ETC installed without using it. According to the State Council regulations, starting from 2020, vehicles without ETC or not using ETC will not enjoy toll discounts. In the future, only one manual lane will remain at highway toll stations, and tolls can only be paid through manual lanes. How ETC works: Through the onboard electronic tag installed on the vehicle's windshield, specialized short-range communication is established with the microwave antenna in the ETC lane at the toll station. Computer networking technology is used for backend settlement processing with banks, allowing vehicles to pass through highway or bridge toll stations without stopping while still paying the tolls. ETC deduction principles: The toll amount for ETC vehicles is rounded according to the "round down if less than 0.5, no change if 0.5 or more" rule (i.e., amounts less than 0.5 yuan are rounded down, amounts 0.5 yuan or more remain unchanged). After applying a 5% discount, the amount is then rounded to the nearest cent. MTC vehicles still follow the "round to the nearest yuan" rule. All this is 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 toll stations without stopping, reducing noise and exhaust emissions, thereby decreasing pollution; Reduced wear and tear: Saves costs, reduces the frequency of vehicle starts and stops, lowering wear and fuel consumption; Improved efficiency: Theoretically, ETC lanes can improve vehicle passing efficiency by 2-3 times, 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 clearly 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 using ETC will significantly increase." It also set a clear target in the "13th Five-Year" comprehensive transportation development indicators: "by 2020, the ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles should reach 50%." More future possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage and the ETC usage rate for passenger vehicles, efforts will also be made to promote ETC usage for trucks. Future developments will explore deeper integration of ETC systems with vehicle-to-vehicle communication, vehicle-to-infrastructure coordination, and other smart transportation directions, providing comprehensive travel services for vehicle owners. This means more application scenarios will support ETC usage.
To be honest, I've been driving for over a decade and think it's completely doable without ETC, but I genuinely don't recommend it because it's too costly. At highway toll stations without ETC, you'll have to queue up for a long time wasting time, and manual lanes charge higher fees. My colleague who didn't get ETC last year spent several hundred yuan more just on fuel. Nowadays, ETC devices are mostly given for free in many places or come with bank account openings, and with ETC you get a 5% discount on toll fees, saving enough in a year for a nice meal. During peak hours, manual lanes often get jammed for kilometers, while ETC lanes let you zoom through smoothly, also reducing emissions and protecting the environment. In case of holiday free-toll policies, ETC users get priority benefits, making it worry-free and economical. If you don't get ETC, just remember to bring enough cash, but in the long run, it's really not cost-effective.
