Egis, a French company, expressed interest in participating in more tenders in Mexico to operate highways, although it stated that there is a major challenge: toll management .
“Our intention is to operate more highways in the country. We will be participating as operators, which is our DNA. We will seek to participate in more concessions,” said Andrés Castillo , the company’s Director of Operations and Maintenance.
In a press conference, Castillo reiterated that they are looking to expand their business primarily in assets that include tunnels or bridges, such as those in the Gulf of Mexico , as well as other mobility areas, as they have fundamental needs.
In Mexico, the company operates the Gulf-Centro highway , which includes the Mexico-Pachuca highway, but also worldwide in regions such as Europe, Africa, Oceania, Asia, as well as Latin America.
The executive stated that users have experienced problems while traveling on some of the country’s highways, primarily with toll collection systems. Therefore, they implemented an efficient lane on the concessioned infrastructure, with a designated reader positioned to allow vehicles to travel at 20 kilometers per hour and pay the toll while traveling.
Also, user surveillance through cameras that allow observation several meters from the road , in addition to communication systems to the control center, drone management, among others.
“We’re constantly seeking to innovate, speed up toll collection, and make it more efficient so customers can be sure they’re being charged the exact amount,” he said.
He mentioned that Mexico needs more infrastructure to allow goods to be transported by road , which is why it needs to be expanded, and “there will be more investment in roads, yes, there will be, less than there was in the past, but there is still investment.”
“Mexico has a general budget deficit, but governments are open and have announced that they will be bidding for construction, maintenance, rehabilitation, and operations projects, demonstrating their desire for private sector participation in the country,” he emphasized.
Lucas Debaud , Operations Manager at Egis, explained that part of the actions they carry out to maintain the assets in good condition is through the optimization of income and operating costs, maintenance, user service and tunnel operation .
He commented that some of the technology they implement in their concessions can detect certain events, such as a stopped vehicle, while in tunnels they conduct infrastructure inspections using drones, among other things.
Andrés Castillo explained that this innovation allows for safe and efficient transportation from one point to another.
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