Must the ETC card belong to the vehicle owner?
1 Answers
Not necessarily. According to the "Implementation Plan for Accelerating the Application Service of Electronic Non-stop Toll Collection on Expressways" issued by the Ministry of Transport, it follows the principle of one device per card, and one card can be bound to multiple vehicles. The required documents include the original valid ID card of the vehicle owner, the original and a copy of the vehicle registration certificate (showing the latest annual inspection stamp page). If applying on behalf of someone else, the original valid ID card of the agent is also required. If applying for ETC through major bank branches, a corresponding debit or credit card from the bank is also needed. Some banks only support ETC binding with credit cards, while others may require freezing a portion of the amount as a deposit when binding ETC with a debit card. Documents required for official vehicles: An introduction letter from the vehicle owner (with official seal); a copy of the organization code certificate or business license (with official seal); the original ID card of the agent; the original vehicle registration certificate; and the vehicle for which ETC is to be applied. ETC charging principle: There will be one or more ETC lanes on the expressway. Through dedicated short-range microwave communication between the onboard electronic tag installed on the vehicle's windshield and the microwave antenna in the ETC lane at the toll station, the system uses computer networking technology to settle accounts with the bank in the background, achieving the purpose of paying tolls without stopping at the toll station. 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 environmentally friendly: reduces noise and exhaust emissions by allowing vehicles to pass through toll stations without stopping; Reduces wear and tear: saves costs by reducing the frequency of vehicle starts and brakes, lowering wear and fuel consumption; Improves efficiency: ETC lanes can theoretically increase vehicle passing efficiency by 2-3 times, making traditional ETC updates 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 equipped with ETC will be significantly increased." It also set a target in the main indicators of comprehensive transportation development during the "13th Five-Year Plan" period to "achieve a 50% ETC usage rate for road passenger vehicles by 2020." More future possibilities: In addition to continuously improving the convenience of ETC installation and usage and the usage rate of ETC passenger vehicles, the future will also promote the use of ETC for trucks and explore the deep integration of the ETC system with intelligent transportation development directions such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication and vehicle-road coordination, providing comprehensive travel services for vehicle owners. This means more application scenarios will support ETC applications. ETC usage precautions: The ETC transaction sensing range is 8 meters. When encountering a stationary vehicle ahead, maintain a distance of more than 10 meters to prevent automatic sensing and payment for the vehicle ahead, in case the vehicle ahead has a faulty ETC device or no ETC device at all. The recognized speed for ETC lane passage is 20 km/h. If the speed is too fast, the vehicle's device information cannot be read, leading to charging failure. Unauthorized removal or movement of the OBU device, or detachment or loosening of the ETC electronic tag, will cause the electronic tag to fail. It can be sent to the bank where the ETC card was issued or the expressway service office for testing. If the loosening or detachment is not man-made, it only needs to be reactivated. When using a debit card bound to ETC, insufficient balance will also cause charging failure. Follow the guidance of on-site staff to use the manual MTC lane and pass by cash or card. Thick car windshields may cause poor sensing. This is especially important for vehicles that have had their windshields replaced after accidents or for those who have modified their front windshields.