Automatic highway toll payment has ‘changed the lives’ of millions of motorists in recent years. But do you know that as of today the Telepass company no longer has a monopoly on our motorway network? Let’s go to the discovery of the new operator that will allow to give a choice to the Italians also in this aspect!
Telepass is an Italian company born with the aim of facilitating the payment of the motorway toll without the obligation to queue at the toll booth. There are millions of Italians who use this service, especially those who usually travel regularly on the motorway!
The company was created by the Autostrade group in 1997 and is controlled 51% by Atlantia and 49% by Partners Group! But do you know that its monopoly on the various motorway arteries has ended for some time? Here is everything you need to know about this very important novelty concerning the automatic payment of the motorway toll!
Until a few months ago, the toll payment service on the motorway was reserved exclusively for the Telepass company. But – as is the case in most sectors – everything has been open to competition. Indeed, the liberalization of the sector started in 2019, with the European directive 2019/520. It has been approved in Italy since last year!
And immediately a new operator entered this market! Who is it about? Here are all the details on this story and the differences with Telepass!
Here is the new operator who has removed the Telepass monopoly on the highways!
A real revolution, therefore, with the end of the Telepass monopoly on motorways. The new operator who has entered this world refers to the Unipol group, the financial holding company operating in the insurance sector. After a pilot project in 2021, the homologation was issued and the insurance company made its entry into this sector as well, being able to exploit almost 10 and a half million insurances to have subscriptions also in the new world!
The device for automatic toll payment is called UnipolMove. It can be used by anyone in possession of a car or a motorcycle with a displacement of at least 150 cc. The initial price is 10 euros. But let’s see in detail the monthly rate and the advantages of this new operator!
For those who decide to rely on this new operator, it is important to say that the first 6 months of subscription are free, while subsequently the monthly rate is 1 euro! At the moment, the price differences are evident between UnipolMove and Telepass. The latter, in fact, has a rate of 1.26 euros per month plus 74 cents to be able to use all Telepass Pay services. As for Telepass, to these fixed rates – obviously – the payments of all the various motorway tolls will be added!
But Unipol’s offer does not end there. By downloading the UnipolMove appindeed, you can pay for paid parking, petrol, road tax, fines and much more! UnipolMove allows you to associate a single entrance panel to the device. For the association of a second plate, in fact, you will have to pay 50 cents a month more. Telepass, on the other hand, allows you to automatically associate two different plates!
Some time ago – full of pride and joy – the head of UnipolSai for all services, Giacomo Lovati, He said: “We are the first operator to have obtained certification with the new European regulation Set (European electronic toll service)”.
