Future-Focused Tolling Strategy and Mobility Innovation Planning

Challenge

TII needed to plan for the future of tolling at a time when the industry was undergoing major change. New mobility technologies, rising customer expectations, and the approaching expiration of concession contracts all pointed to the need for a clearer view of how tolling in Ireland may develop. TII wanted practical insight into how tolling organizations in other parts of the world are structured, how they govern operations, and how they respond to technological change, such as open-road tolling, digital mobility ecosystems, and broader transportation innovation, which could affect operating models, capital investment requirements, long-term revenue strategies, and sustainability objectives.

The work was intended to help TII better understand how tolling operations are changing globally, which emerging technologies could affect Ireland’s transportation network, and how future operational and policy choices may shape the sustainability and effectiveness of TII’s tolling program over the next decade. To support its wider strategic planning efforts, TII needed a globally informed, data-based perspective to guide future decisions across toll operations, procurement planning, and organizational strategy.

Approach

Milligan worked closely with TII and Arup to produce a series of strategic studies and forward-looking analyses to support long-term transportation planning and tolling modernization.

Global Tolling Organization and Operations Review: We conducted a detailed review of tolling operating models, business structures, and legal frameworks across multiple jurisdictions and assessed how agencies of varying sizes and governance models manage toll facilities, customer service operations, concession agreements, and system management.

Florida Tolling Industry Case Study: At TII’s direction, Milligan prepared an in-depth case study of tolling operations in the State of Florida. The study reviewed several tolling organizations and examined the following: organizational structures and governance models; legal and regulatory frameworks; facility size and operational scale; business operations and operational responsibilities; and tolling program administration approaches.

The Florida case study provided TII with practical, real-world examples of how large tolling organizations operate across different governance and operating environments. This work provided TII with useful industry benchmarks and helped the agency understand both the historical development of tolling operations and the possible directions they may take in the future.

Mobility and Technology Innovation Forecast: We also developed a forward-looking assessment of mobility and technology innovation, centered on trends likely to affect transportation systems and tolling operations over the next decade.

The analysis considered both internal and external forces shaping the mobility sector, including: 

• emerging tolling technologies 

• digital payment evolution 

• connected and automated vehicle trends 

• changing transportation behaviors

• mobility-as-a-service ecosystems 

• sustainability and environmental considerations

• data and systems integration trends

The study examined these trends through both quantitative and qualitative analysis to help TII understand their potential operational, financial, and technological implications.

Future-State Operational Planning: As part of the wider planning effort, Milligan assessed how a shift to open-road tolling could affect TII’s future operations, staffing approach, customer experience, capital spending, and long-term revenue structure. The team also shared lessons learned from other toll concession programs in areas such as procurement strategies, toll operations management, concession transitions and handback provisions, and long-term operational planning.

These insights supported TII’s broader optioneering exercise and future planning for Ireland’s national road network.

Results

Milligan’s work gave TII a broad, globally informed understanding of the changing tolling and mobility landscape. Through benchmarking, operational analysis, and forecasting, TII gained valuable insights into how emerging trends could affect the agency’s tolling operations, infrastructure planning, technology investments, and revenue models in the years ahead.

The engagement helped TII strengthen its evaluation of long-term options for tolling modernization, concession planning, open-road tolling implementation, and evolving mobility technologies.

By bringing together industry best practices, operational experience, and practical analysis of innovation, Milligan helped TII prepare for the next phase of transportation infrastructure and mobility management.