According to the two companies, key findings of the trial included:

• 70% of drivers improved their driving behaviour by avoiding rush-hour traffic and using highways instead of local roads.
• On average, these drivers in the trial saw an improvement of more than 16% in average cost per kilometer.

The companies also said that they found that a clear system of incentives is critical to changing driving behaviour and that they realised that providing instant feedback on the price of the road chosen and total charges for the trip via an On-Board Unit display was essential to maximising the change in behaviour.

The trial was conducted as many EU countries look into road pricing programmes as a means of reducing congestion and CO2 emissions. The Netherlands will be introducing a new road-use charge starting in 2012 for trucks and lorries, and 2013 for passenger cars, which is expected to be fully implemented by 2016.

Eric-Mark Huitema, mobility executive, IBM, said: 'We are strongly encouraged by the results of the Netherlands trial and the implications for other countries considering Road User Charging and Intelligent Traffic Systems. The future with the growing cities and increased migration to large cities needs a Smarter Mobility solution. IBM has invested in these solutions and has implemented the solution in Eindhoven based on GPS. The results prove it works.'