Austrian eco tags are hard to grasp
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• The head of the Austrian hauliers' trade association has warned that an electronic system designed to make high polluting vehicles pay their way, will make life difficult for drivers.
Until now 'drivers had to buy "eco" stamps, depending on the level of their vehicles' pollutants. But from December they will have to buy electronic eco tags to be displayed in their cabs which will debit points automatically once activated. "This is more complicated than the old system," warns Rudolf Bauer, head of Die Transporteure, which is the Austrian equivalent
of the Road Haulage Association. "It is not easy to understand."
The tags will be available throughout Austria but they have to be initialised at an authorised centre. Drivers can be fined up to £960 (ATS 20,000) for crossing Austria without having eco points deducted. The International Road Transport Union has invited drivers to keep its brochure on safe parking areas in Europe up to date. The IRU will be opening Iwo offices in Moscow next year; one will deal with TIR problems.