Platon (toll system)

Platon (Russian: Платон) is an electronic toll collection system established in Russia in November 2015. The toll is collected from trucks over 12 tonnes, with the proceedings going to a federal fund for road maintenance.[1] A subsidiary of the state-owned Rostec corporation holds a 50% stake in the collection system operator, with the Putin-associated Rotenberg oligarchs owning the other half.[2]

The objective of the Platon system is to offset the damage caused by heavy trucks to the country's major highways.[1] As of April 2017, road users who drive vehicles included in the scheme are required to pay a levy of 1.90 rubles ($0.03 in 2015) per kilometer.[3] Rosavtodor, the Russian federal agency for road transport, asserts that 58% of the damage to roads is caused by heavy trucks.[1] Revenues from the system amounted to 22 billion rubles in 2016.[4] As of November 2018, the cumulative revenue was €789 million.[5]

  1. ^ a b c Kuchma, Anna (28 July 2015). "New tolls on heavy trucks to raise funds for road repairs in Russia". Russia Beyond The Headlines. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  2. ^ "Kremlin claims there was no string pulling in Platon system operator choice". TASS (in Russian). Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  3. ^ "About The ETC System". Platon. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  4. ^ "'Платон' собрал 22 млрд рублей, но все равно недобрал" ["Platon" collected 22 billion rubles, but still missed out]. auto.vesti.ru (in Russian). 23 March 2017. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Data shows low Ukraine/Russia import volumes; increased delivery in bordering countries". Trans.INFO. Retrieved 2022-05-06.