ITS (UK) member Emovis has had its contract to provide toll collection and enforcement services to Halton Borough Council and the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board extended by five years.
Originally appointed for a seven-year period in 2017, the new extension means that Emovis will continue to provide the service through to October 2029.
Emovis provides the services – which include the collection of tolls and charges for crossings either the Mersey Gateway or the Silver Jubilee Bridges between Runcorn and Widnes near Liverpool in North West England – through the merseyflow brand name.
Employing over 100 people at its base in Runcorn, the extension will secure the long-term future of those jobs in the borough.
Almost 100 million crossings have been made across the two toll bridges since the Mersey Gateway Bridge opened in October 2017, with on time payment rates consistently in excess of 97% during this time.
Over 80% of journeys made across the bridges are now made by customers who have registered an account at www.merseyflow.co.uk and are benefitting from discounts on the toll charges.
The vast majority of these registered customers have also chosen to auto top-up or are paying by direct debit which automates their payments and massively reduces the risk of receiving a PCN.
Feedback taken from a recent customer survey showed that 98% of responding registered customers using the auto top-up option found it ‘very easy’ or ‘easy’ to pay, with 88% of all responding registered customers describing the standard of service they received as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’.
According to Christian Barrientos, CEO of Abertis Mobility Services, “our work with Halton Borough Council and the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board is one of our most important projects, and we are extremely proud to have had our contract extended as it shows that we have met the expectations of both road users and our clients.”
“We like to build long-term relationships with our customers because it means we can collaborate and deliver joint solutions that benefit road users. This is an excellent example of this,” he adds.
Neil Conway, Chief Executive of Emovis UK, said: “We’re delighted to have had our contract extended by the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board. The credit should be given to the whole team in Runcorn who are working incredibly hard to provide the best possible service to the users of the bridge and are delivering a high-quality service which is valued by the Crossings Board and the vast majority of drivers alike. I can’t thank them enough for their hard work and dedication.”
He added: “We’re always listening to feedback and moving forward we will continue to bring in new innovations to continually improve the systems and processes we have, and the services that we deliver.”
Mike Bennett, Managing Director of the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board, said: “The Emovis team has consistently delivered innovations and improvements like introducing the auto top-up system and the quick pay app and together we’re looking at further improvements we can introduce as we move forward.”
“To have over 80% of journeys being made by people who have chosen to register with merseyflow is great because it means these customers are all receiving discounts on their crossings, and it makes it much easier for them to pay and manage their accounts.”
(Picture – Mersey Gateway/Emovis)
