Enforcing road tolls in Portugal

The Portuguese road operator Ascendi has awarded Q-Free a five-year service and maintenance contract, valued at over US$15 million, related to the tolling infrastructure deployed in Beiras Litoral e Alta and Interior Norte concessions."The Portuguese market continues to be important for the company, and service and maintenance contracts are forming an essential basis for a strong local presence and long term growth in this innovative market," said Dr. Øyvind Isaksen, Q-Free CEO

French infrastructure fund manager Ardian has agreed to acquire all the shares of Ascendi PT II which operates seven Portuguese motorway concessions Ardian, an independent private investment company, is buying the shares from its joint venture partner Ascndi Group. Ascendi PT II was formed in June 2015 as a partnership between Ardian Infrastructure and Ascendi and owns and operates five motorways in northern Portugal and the Lisbon area. Ardian Infrastructure will pay €600 million for control of the

Around 72,500 foreign drivers have already registered for the electronic toll payment system set up at motorways which connect to the Spanish border, according to Portuguese road agency (Estradas de Portugal-EP). Implemented on 1 July, 2012, the ‘Easy Toll’ system is a pre requirement to drive on SCUT motorways. Within the overall registration total, 30,961 have registered for the ‘Easy Toll’ on the A25 motorway, connecting Aveiro and Vila Formoso.

The European Commission has warned Portugal to change national rules on the introduction of tolling that are contrary to Community law, a decision that has widespread implications for similar schemes throughout the rest of Europe depending on how what is becoming a complex legal tangle is resolved. In November, 2010, the Aveiro municipality filed a formal complaint against the Portuguese Government to the European Commission objecting to a tolling scheme on the old SCUT highway. It argued that the system wa