Washington, D.C., Aug. 30, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The International Bridge, Tunnel & Turnpike Association (IBTTA) has awarded Electronic Transaction Consultants, LLC (ETC) a Quarterhill Inc. company (TSX: QTRH) (OTCQX: QTRHF) the 2022 Toll Excellence Award for Private Sector Innovation for ETC’s Accounts Receivable Management (ARM) application for the Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA). Each year IBTTA presents the Toll Excellence Awards to highlight the very best projects, innovations, and solutions from the international tolling industry, and describes the awardees as “global industry leaders and role models, performing outstanding work by finding less costly solutions for drivers, creating stronger customer support services, improving safety, enhancing sustainable clean water practices, and embracing new technologies." The awards will be presented during IBTTA’s 90th Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Austin, Texas on September 19, 2022. ETC previously won IBTTA’s 2019 Toll Excellence Award for the successful implementation of the Central U.S. Interoperability Hub.
In 2019, Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously approved the changes to the violation invoicing and collections process to provide a more customer-friendly, transparent resolution process for drivers. HCTRA chartered ETC to develop and implement an integrated ARM application initially for use by HCTRA. The ARM application was specifically designed and developed to collect on past due receivables along with the functionality to perform hearings, adjudication and/or litigation. The ARM application was to be integrated with the ETC riteHorizon™ Back Office System implemented at HCTRA, along with electronic delivery of data and documents to the Harris County Attorney's Office and County Clerk’s Office. The ARM application is a consolidated solution with the integration of advanced technologies, including a modern low-code user interface (UI) and cloud infrastructure, and can be integrated easily with any back-office system, tolling, or otherwise. The system provides seamless integration across the various processes, with a clear timeline for each collection and legal action escalation points. This enables users to quickly evaluate each case and decide on the next steps.
“The team at ETC is so grateful to be selected by IBTTA for this respected award,” stated ETC’s President & Chief Executive Officer Kevin Holbert. “This is further validation of ETC’s dedication to technical and operational excellence and commitment to being the innovation leader in the tolling and smart mobility market. This would not have been possible without visionary Anil Mirmira, P.E., Deputy Director, Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA), and his team who provided ETC with an opportunity to be their solution provider. Through this project, ETC was able to support HCTRA’s new business process for in-house collections of delinquent receivables along with hearings and litigation. Implementation of the ARM application has not only allowed HCTRA to maximize their revenue collection, but also being able to increase conversion from an unregistered user to an enrolled account holder.”
About Electronic Transaction Consultants, LLC
ETC is a leading U.S. intelligent transportation systems provider, developing and delivering best-in-class solutions for tolling, congestion management, smart mobility, and multimodal transportation initiatives. ETC’s passionate and innovative team has been driving the future of mobility since 1999, with a number of industry firsts, including all electronic tolling (AET), dynamic pricing, agency interoperability, hosted mobility solutions, and machine learning.
For over two decades, ETC has delivered sophisticated solutions to many of the U.S.’s largest toll authorities, including state-wide programs, county networks, and tolling-specific authorities. ETC's solutions process over two billion transactions annually totaling over $3 billion in revenues for our customers, incorporating the latest in evergreen open-source and SaaS technologies and Big Data architecture through our innovative riteSuite™ products.
About Quarterhill
Quarterhill is a leading provider of tolling and enforcement solutions in the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) industry, as well as, through its Wi-LAN Inc. subsidiary, a leader in Intellectual Property licensing. Our goal is global leadership in ITS, via organic growth of the Electronic Transaction Consultants, LLC (ETC) and International Road Dynamics, Inc. (IRD) platforms, and by continuing an acquisition-oriented investment strategy that capitalizes on attractive growth opportunities within ITS and its adjacent markets. Quarterhill is listed on the TSX under the symbol QTRH and on the OTCQX Best Market under the symbol QTRHF. For more information, visit www.quarterhill.com
About The International Bridge, Tunnel & Turnpike Association
The International Bridge, Tunnel & Turnpike Association (IBTTA) is the worldwide association for the owners and operators of toll facilities and the businesses that serve them. Founded in 1932, IBTTA has members in more than 20 countries on six continents. Through advocacy, thought leadership, and education, members are implementing state-of-the-art, innovative user-based transportation financing solutions to address the critical infrastructure challenges of the 21st century.
Forward-Looking Information
This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding ETC, Quarterhill, and their businesses. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by ETC and/or Quarterhill in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments, and the expected effects of new business strategies, as well as other factors that ETC and/or Quarterhill believe, are appropriate in the circumstances. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed herein may not occur and could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting ETC and/or Quarterhill, including: potential risks and uncertainties relating to the ultimate geographic spread of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”); the severity of the disease; the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak; actions that may be taken by governmental authorities to contain the COVID-19 outbreak or to treat its impact; the potential negative impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and financial markets and any resulting impact on ETC and/or Quarterhill and/or their businesses. Other factors include, without limitation, the risks described in Quarterhill’s March 20, 2022, annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2021 (the “AIF”). Copies of the AIF may be obtained at www.sedar.com. ETC and Quarterhill recommend that readers review and consider all of these risk factors and note that readers should not place undue reliance on any of ETC’s forward-looking statements. ETC has no intention and undertakes no obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
