Macquarie Infrastructure Group (MIG)

Service delivery improvements

MIG takes an active approach to both the financial and operational management of the toll roads within its portfolio in order to create long-term value for MIG security holders and improve service to toll road users.

A key opportunity for MIG to add value is to implement automated toll collection along a toll road. This can mean making it possible to use credit cards as well as cash, or making a road fully electronic through the use of transponders, so there are no toll booths and no requirement for vehicles to stop. Since listing, automated toll collection (i.e. credit card and electronic toll collection) has increased from 0% to 83.4% across MIG's portfolio. Ongoing costs associated with toll collection are improved, the road becomes more efficient operationally and journey times to work, for holidaying and for visiting friends and family are reduced.

Electronic Toll Collection (ETC)

ETC usage alone across MIG's portfolio has increased from 0% to 55.7% since listing.

To achieve this, MIG has implemented the required ETC infrastructure and systems at its toll roads and conducted strategic marketing campaigns, driven by asset management teams, to highlight the benefits of ETC to road users and encourage the purchase and use of transponders, including discounted tolls to ETC transponder users across several of MIG's assets.

Westlink M7

  • The first fully electronic toll road in Australia to use a distance-based tolling system.

APRR

  • Automated toll collection transactions exceed manual transactions by 16%
  • 23% growth in number of Liber-t tags in circulation from 2006 to 2007.

ITR

  • ETC implementation on full length of road in April 2008.

CHICAGO SKYway

After ETC implementation in 2005:

  • 50% greater average hourly throughput per ETC lane compared to cash lanes
  • Reduction in average transaction time per vehicle per lane by 2.5 seconds.

UPTAKE ACROSS MIG’S PORTFOLIO*

ETC
ETC and other non-cash payment methods
June 2006 – 45.5%, June 2007 – 49.4%, June 2008 – 55.7%
June 2006 – 71.6%, June 2007 – 78.8%, June 2008 – 83.4%

* By number of transactions, weighted by % of MIG's portfolio as at 30 June 2008.

407 ETR gantry M6 Toll Transporter

Key benefits of electronic tolling

  • Reduced customer commute time
  • Improved traffic flow and throughput
  • Increased customer convenience and safety with no ‘stop’ payment
  • Increased road capacity leading to potential for higher revenues
  • Lower customer fuel use and emissions
  • Reduced need for new roads
  • Improved road productivity with reduced operating costs through use of non-staffed toll booths.