What is behind the ROUTEX fuel card network?

“Together we are stronger", says an old German proverb. This wisdom can also be transferred into the business world.

Due to the merger of Aral, BP, eni, OMV and Circle K, the network alliance ROUTEX is one of the largest fuel station networks in Europe. The ROUTEX network covers 29 different countries and about 18,000 different fuel stations.

Which services offers a ROUTEX fuel card?

truck wash, ferries, (secure) parking, fueling, emission stickers, RoLa (intermodal transportation), breakdown services, toll handling & vignettes

In addition to the cashless handling of fuels, the ROUTEX fuel card also offers the possibility of processing secure parking lots, truck washes, ferries and many other on-road services cashless across Europe. With ROUTEX, especially all relevant toll systems in Europe can be handled.

What are the benefits of accepting ROUTEX fuel cards?

For acceptance partners it is especially an advantage, that ROUTEX combines the customers of five different international companies, which can all be bound via just one contract. Additionally the clients of TRAFINEO, take over the risk of payment defaults.

Thus, ROUTEX not only provides you with a higher turnover, but also protects you against potential payment defaults so that you can focus on your business and look forward to a large number of new customers.

What are the benefits for fuel card issuers?

Fuel card issuers can benefit from a variety of acceptance points across Europe and additionally offer their customers a wide range of toll and on-road services.

Furthermore ROUTEX partners can simply connect new offers regarding on-road and value-added services via TRAFINEO, as well as a multilingual customer support. Thus, it is guaranteed that only toll experts take care of customer enquiries and registration related questions.

Do you want to profit from ROUTEX as well? Get in touch with us today!

German Toll Extension 2018. What has to be considered?

Since October 1st 2015, Heavy Good Vehicles (HGVs) with a gross weight exceeding 7.5t are obligated to pay toll for round about 12,800km of federal motorways (Bundesautobahnen) and 2,300km federal trunk roads (Bundesstraßen).

In May 2016 the German parliament (Bundestag) agreed to implement the draft law, submitted by the federal minister for transport and digital infrastructure Alexander Dobrindt (CSU).

This draft looks to extend the existing toll network by round about 40,000km of federal trunk roads as of July 1st 2018. The declared target of this extension is “a better financing of federal trunk roads as well as a modern, secure and high-performing transport infrastructure in Germany”, an article published by the federal government in February 2017 claims. Further, it states that additional earnings of circa two billion Euros per year are expected.

Why does the extension have wider consequences for the market?

New about the expansion is that in the future all drivers have to pay tolls, when active on German federal trunk roads with vehicles over 7.5t. For customers with vehicles already equipped with an On-board Unit (OBU), these changes only have a very small impact.

Companies, which currently use federal trunk roads primarily, will have to rethink.  So far the manual booking via toll terminals was practicable for irregularly users of federal motorways and toll obligated federal trunk roads. Since as of July 2018 all federal trunk roads will be obligated to tolling, especially these companies should look for a suitable solution at an early stage.

How do customers prepare themselves optimally?

One example for a suitable solution is the OBU of the German toll provider TollCollect. The OBU will be provided without a charge, but therefore it has to be installed by a certified workshop. The expenses for the installation have to be borne by the companies themselves.

Owners of a service card – e.g. the BP + Aral fuel card – profit additionally by smart services, a comprehensive support, receiving all toll transactions combined into one monthly invoice as well as many other services.

Interested parties can find out about the offer of the BP + Aral fuel card here.