Taiwan's Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) service was supposed to be operational on the island's two major superhighways in the beginning of 2006, but was postponed instead because of public opinions about the high price of the On Board Unit (OBU), which is a device that a driver needs to purchase and then be attached on a car before using the service. The pressure from the government and legislation has forced the commissioned Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contractor, Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co., to lower the price, but many negative opinions keep mounting. One of them states that the contract including an overall usage KPI that will further force FETC to "beg" drivers to use the service by offering a much lower or even free price.
FETC is facing a real dilemma here: On one hand, it needs to make a profit in order to keep the company growing; on the other hand, the public service nature has restricted its practices as a privately owned company. What's more, it's an undeniable fact that FETC operates as a monopoly, which is bound to be scrutinized with a higher standard.
Despite all the drawbacks, FETC is still in a good position to lead the revolution of transportation in Taiwan. I am looking forward to seeing it overcomes the obstacles, so it can say: "All your tolls are belong to me."