OmniAir Consortium, the leading industry association promoting interoperability and certification for ITS, tolling, and connected vehicles, announced today the launch of a new initiative to develop a certification program for the next generation of transportation payment systems.
This comprehensive initiative will provide assurance to infrastructure owner-operators (IOOs) that transportation payment technologies—such as V2X-based tolling, road usage charging (RUC), and mobile app-based payments are interoperable, conform to industry standards, and meet end-user requirements.
At the same time, the automotive and tolling industries are cooperating to leverage connected vehicle-based technologies for toll payments. Meanwhile, mobile app-based technologies have opened a world of possibilities for road pricing and demand management strategies.
As the U.S. Congress continues to consider the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, there is a growing need for fair and equitable solutions to finance this investment. Emerging payment solutions, such as RUC/Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) payments, have been piloted extensively in recent years, and are now poised for operational deployments.
“We are excited to open this new initiative to our members,” said Jason Conley, Executive Director of OmniAir. “We are entering an exciting period, where for the first time, tolling and V2X activities are merging and those that volunteer at these early stages have the ability to shape its future.”
OmniAir’s new V2X-Based Tolling and Road User Charging Initiative will be a collaboration between infrastructure owner-operators and industry stakeholders to address these needs. Suzanne Murtha, Vice President of Connected and Automated Vehicles for AECOM will chair the new initiative.
The working group identified three key categories to explore: V2X-based Tolling, Mobile Payment Applications and Road User Charging (RUC) and each segment is led by a pair of industry leaders.
The Scope of Test Plan for the J3217 tiger team is led by Qualcomm Senior Staff Engineers, Drew Van Duren, and Sean Maschue. The objective of this group is to develop the scope of a test plan, based on J3217, including all aspects of application functionality.
The Mobile payment applications tiger team is led by Kapsch TrafficCom North America’s National Practice Lead, Steve Sprouffske, and ClearRoad Co-Founder and COO, Paul Salama. The group will lead in defining the tolling and RUC mobile application certification points to ensure industry-wide standardization, reliability, and robustness while not encroaching on innovation. The group will also define the breadth of the Mobile App domain, and the interfaces into the Mobile app, and the associated data standards processes. Mobile App Interfaces may include Consumer, Vehicle, transportation agency/Toll Authority/Roadway operator, Payment processors, back-office, reporting and auditing, regional/national clearinghouses, and other stakeholders.
The Road User Charging (RUC) Certification Stakeholder Engagement tiger team is led by the Oregon Department of Transportation Office of Innovation Manager, Maureen Bock, and WSP USA’s Road Usage Charge Technical Subject Matter Expert, Markell Moffett. Many jurisdictions are exploring road usage charge (RUC) programs, where people pay for road usage by the mile rather than by the gallon. These programs require multiple subsystems and components that perform activities to accurately collect, process, and collect a RUC. This tiger team will define and delineate each subsystem and component, as well as identify which subsystems, components, and communications between them have current or emerging standards against which they can be certified. This tiger team will also explore what stakeholder engagement is needed to ensure the right voices are at the table to develop a RUC certification program that supports the needs of jurisdictions and industry.
OmniAir provides the opportunity for its members to work collaboratively to develop and decide on requirements for national certification programs. If you would like more information or are interested in participating in this exciting new initiative, please contact Jason Conley, Executive Director. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 4 at 3:00 PM EDT.