The Road User Charging Conference returns to Brussels on 3–4 March 2026 with an agenda focused on what is now proving workable in live schemes, major upgrades and cross-border operations.
Across Europe, strategic drivers are converging. Fuel duty decline is sharpening the long-term funding question just as Fit for 55, Eurovignette implementation and CO₂-differentiated tolling are raising the bar on measurable outcomes. At the same time, governments and operators are being pushed to make schemes more auditable, more interoperable and more publicly sustainable, with enforcement, evidence standards, data governance and customer experience now central to delivery.
This year’s programme is built around the questions delivery teams are being asked to answer now: what works at scale, what stands up to scrutiny and what is becoming the default across technology, enforcement and cross-border operations. With contributors spanning the European Commission, national ministries and road authorities, national operators and tier-one delivery partners, the agenda reflects where policy is heading and what procurement pipelines are beginning to demand.
Clean trucking and CO2 differentiation
A core through-line of the agenda is how pricing is being used to accelerate heavy-duty decarbonisation without undermining network performance or freight productivity. Bernardo Galantini, freight officer at Transport & Environment, will examine CO₂-based truck tolls and how tariff differentiation can reduce the effective cost gap for zero-emission trucks by creating clearer investment signals. The theme continues in a dedicated panel on tolling and zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles featuring Giacomo Migliore, policy officer for road transport at the European Commission, exploring how emissions-based rates and distance-based charging mechanisms are being aligned with congestion outcomes and wider EU objectives.
Interoperability and cross-border recovery
As charging expands in scope and complexity, interoperability is increasingly about accounts, data flows, clearing and enforceable cross-border processes, not simply OBUs and tags. Sjaak Kempe, head of IT operations at EUCARIS, will focus on cross-border information exchange and the operational realities of making it work at scale, including the data protection and legislative considerations that often determine whether schemes can deliver fair, consistent enforcement across any and all border jurisdictions.
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Germany’s experience also features strongly through Toll Collect. Dr Thomas Jestädt, head of the tolling division, and Dr Rolf Erfurt, managing director commercial and digital, will discuss EETS provider migration and the role of standardised data infrastructure in enabling innovation beyond core tolling services, alongside the change management lessons that matter when programmes migrate providers or modernise their back-office platforms.
Fraud prevention and cybersecurity
As schemes scale, operational integrity is increasingly determined by the edge cases: fraud patterns, identity risk, account misuse and the organisational choices that enable faster detection without ballooning costs. Raman Jafroudi, senior director, business development at Quarterhill, will share tolling-focused best practice on cybersecurity and fraud prevention, including behavioural signals used to detect licence plate cloning and synthetic or duplicate accounts earlier and how agencies are balancing automation with managed human oversight.
GNSS at scale
Distance-based charging continues to mature, but the procurement and delivery challenge is no longer simply selecting a technology stack. It is choosing an architecture that supports auditability, dispute handling, interoperability and long-term upgrade paths. Reem Fahdi, business development EMEA at Kapsch TrafficCom, will address road pricing transformation through digital connectivity, arguing that GNSS-based tolling is increasingly becoming foundational as EV uptake and connected vehicle capabilities reshape how schemes are designed, secured and legislated.
Kamil Meisel-Potrzuski, executive project manager at T-Systems, will take a broader view of where the sector is heading, positioning the next phase of road user charging around intelligent connection, integration and the operating models that link performance, sustainability and user experience.
Equity, acceptance and political durability
If delivery is the dominant theme of the 2026 programme, political durability is the constant constraint. Iceland provides a live test case for how new charging models land with the public once they are real. Pétur Matthíasson, head of communication at Vegagerðin (Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration), will examine Iceland’s move to charging all vehicles, focusing on criticism, communications and acceptance. Ragnar Bjartmarz, project officer at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs Iceland, will then explore equity and public acceptance in Iceland’s RUC system, spanning implementation and how revenue stability and environmental incentives are framed.
In the Netherlands, the emphasis is on what it takes to translate ambition into an implementable programme. Arjan van Vliet, department project leader, and Stijn Gründeman, senior policy officer, both from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management Netherlands, will provide a 2026 update on Dutch HGV distance charging implementation and the alignment choices being made around decarbonisation, EU frameworks and user acceptance. For other states considering distance-based charging, the Dutch sessions will offer a close-up view of implementation sequencing, EU alignment choices and the reality of turning policy intent into an effective operating scheme.
Benchmarking beyond Europe
Several sessions are designed to help European authorities and delivery partners benchmark choices against international experience. Sophia Chan, executive science and technology policy fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, will compare state and federal mileage-based user fee programme perspectives in the USA, including how outreach, technology choices, borders and payment processes vary as pilots evolve.
Dr Shih-Ming You, counselor at Taipei City Government, will offer a city-led perspective on aligning charging with decarbonisation, including how policy is balancing sustainability and equity objectives. Together, the sessions offer practical reference points on privacy, equity and scale-up design that European programmes can adapt without repeating early-stage pitfalls.
For more information, please visit www.roaduserchargingconference.com
Meet our partners
Lead Partner
Since 2008, SkyToll has led intelligent transport systems, pioneering a road-charging platform that fuses GNSS, DSRC and GSM. Its satellite-based solution tolls motorways, expressways and lower-category roads, scaling without costly roadside infrastructure. SkyToll delivers efficient, adaptable, future-proof charging and advanced traffic analysis and management worldwide.
Thought Leader Partner
Kapsch TrafficCom is an Austrian ITS provider with a strong global presence across tolling, traffic management and sustainable mobility solutions. Through its road user charging portfolio, it supports interoperable, secure charging and enforcement capabilities designed to improve network performance, reduce congestion and help authorities align mobility policy with environmental outcomes.
Quarterhill has more than four decades of experience in tolling and enforcement. Serving major toll authorities in the USA, it supports large-scale transaction environments and compliance operations. Its commercial vehicle inspection technologies are deployed in more than 2,000 lanes worldwide, helping agencies reduce weigh station congestion and protect road infrastructure from premature damage.
T-Systems is a European digital services provider delivering end-to-end IT across cloud, AI, security, connectivity and advisory services. Part of Deutsche Telekom, it supports critical operations for large organisations through secure, sovereign digital environments. It has more than 25 years of experience, more than 26,000 employees across 26 countries and annual revenues exceeding €4bn.
AUMOVIO was formed through the September 2025 spin-off of the former Continental Automotive sector. It develops technology and electronics for safe, connected and software-defined mobility, spanning sensor solutions, architecture platforms and assistance systems. It also owns aftermarket brands including ATE and VDO. In fiscal year 2024, its business areas generated sales of €19.6bn.
NGO Partner
Reason Foundation is a US-based nonprofit organisation focused on public policy research and engagement including transportation funding and user charges. Its work examines programme design, governance, transparency and delivery models that support performance and public acceptance. It publishes research and engages with policymakers and industry stakeholders on practical approaches to financing and operating road infrastructure.
Partner
Aurora Insights is Akabo Media’s research and market intelligence service focused on tolling and road usage charging. It provides subscription access to exclusive written, audio and video content including in-depth reports and analysis drawn from the Road User Charging Conference series. Coverage is global, spanning Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa, Asia and the Pacific with regular updates designed to support evidence-led decision-making.
For partnerships, contact Cristina Martins at cristina.martins@akabomedia.co.uk. For speaking opportunities, contact Shelby Laviniere at shelby.laviniere@akabomedia.co.uk. For delegate enquiries, contact Ross Sturley at ross.sturley@akabomedia.co.uk
