Rosenheim, July 3rd 2023. All good things come in fives: The Rosenheim-based start-up maut1.de is expanding its offer and, on the way south, will open the barriers with its toll box in Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and now, since July, also in Croatia. This means that travellers can also open the barriers at the reserved, digital toll lanes in the popular holiday country on the Balkan peninsula. There is no need to search for coins and notes or to take out the credit card at the ticket booths. This is made possible by the small, compact toll box (6.5 x 4.5 x 2 cm), which is attached to the windscreen next to the rear-view mirror. "We are thus the first German provider to open the barriers for cars in five European countries with just one toll box," say the two managing directors Julian Schmelzer and Simon Baumgartner, who founded their company in December 2020.
Tollbox is immediately active and covers all routes
And how does the toll box work? The customer pays a one-time activation fee (19.90 euros; plus 3.90 euros shipping) and the annual fee of 19.90 euros. In addition, there is a 5 per cent surcharge for the actual distance driven. Billing is monthly with the payment method stored. "The extension is automatically activated for all existing customers," explains Schmelzer. It is not necessary to replace or update the toll box. "On 14 July, we activated the entire route network of the largest operator by far, Hrvatske autoceste d.o.o. (HAC) in Croatia," says Baumgartner. "In a second step, the rest of the second motorway operator with an electronic toll system, Bina-Istra d.o.o. (Istria), will be connected by the end of the year".
Time saving of up to 45 minutes per toll station
The toll box, which is sent to the customer within one to four days and is immediately active, is valid for all cars (including caravans and trailers), motorbikes and motorhomes. It is also possible to change the vehicle: via the customer centre on maut1.de, a different number plate can be deposited without any problems. "Owner experience from the first two years has shown that the toll box can save up to 45 minutes per toll station, especially during the big travel waves in summer, and that the annoying stop-and-go in front of the ticket booths is also a thing of the past," report Schmelzer and Baumgartner. "maut1 customers simply drive past the traffic jam. This not only saves time and is easy on the nerves, but also on the environment.“
More information about the toll boxes from maut1.de www.maut1.de/en/
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