Key Growth Trends in the European Markets for Road User Charging, Congestion Charging, Public Transport & Ticketing and Parking

Market Overview

Innovative Systems Add Impetus to Development of European Transportation Market

The European transportation market is developing, fuelled by the introduction of innovative traffic management and advanced payment systems. Due to rapid urbanisation, public transport is becoming increasingly popular in Europe, with rail/underground usage reaching 1.2 billion passenger journeys in 2006/07 showing year-on-year growth of 8 per cent. Twenty countries across Europe impose a road toll charge; France has the highest number of passenger car road tolls with approximately 81 road tolls, whereas Great Britain has the highest number of bridge and tunnel tolls with approximately 22 bridge and tunnel tolls. Technology will shift from automated number plate recognition (ANPR) used in existing schemes to Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) Tag and Beacon - expected by 2008 in London and Stockholm. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is anticipated by 2014/15 in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom coupled with Galileo for greater accuracy in terms of traffic management in downtown areas. Advanced payment systems are key in the car parking process. As a result, it is vital for parking companies to consider expanding their business for car parking telematics subscription systems.

'The European transportation market is recognised to be the most advanced in the world and is undergoing several changes, chiefly fuelled by increasing traffic congestion and the need to cut down on travel time,' notes the analyst of this research. 'Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) are starting to gain prominence in Europe, especially as city planners/government organisations seek to minimise congestion and time allocation and optimise urban traffic/passenger flow.' The EU is now investing more money to enhance traffic management and the use of public transport system by 2015. In this context, several exciting projects are set to be operationalised by 2008 in London, Italy and Stockholm.

Segments Reveal Differing Prospects

Road-user charging is developing rapidly. While the market for road-user charging is well established in the Western Europe, it is still in the early stages of development in Eastern Europe, creating considerable potential for expansion. There is also growth potential for vehicle positioning systems (VPS) and ANPR as they provide opportunities for participants with a primary focus on manufacturing video enforcement systems. Congestion charging is gaining importance. This segment is projected to generate an estimated €2.05 billion by 2015. Congestion charging will experience the implementation of new technologies such as GPS by 2011. In the future, this segment will be populated by new entrants who are already active in the road-user charge segment and are both service and IT service providers.

Advanced parking systems manufacturers are looking to expand in Europe by implementing technology systems that have been successfully trialled in Asia. This segment will generate higher revenues by 2015 if innovative technologies can be developed. In order to test parking system technologies and overcome specific challenges, various projects have been carried out to test a combination of navigation and parking information.

Market Sectors

Expert Frost & Sullivan analysts thoroughly examine the following market sectors in this research:

- Road user charging systems
- Congestion charging systems
- Public transport & ticketing systems
- Advanced parking systems
- Technologies

The following technologies are covered in this research:

- Road user charging systems
- Congestion charging systems
- Public transport & ticketing systems
- Advanced parking systems