Mysłowice, 22 May 2020 - In the first quarter of this year, the Capital Group experienced a drop in traffic intensity on the A4 motorway Katowice-Kraków, which results in lower sales revenues, which, however, is accompanied by a higher net profit relative to the previous year.
In Q1 2020, the revenue generated by the Stalexport Autostrady Capital Group reached the level of PLN approx. PLN 73.2 million and was approx. 7.7% lower than in the corresponding period of the previous year. The net profit increased from PLN 5 million in Q1 2019 to nearly PLN 32 million in the reporting period under analysis, whereas the results in Q1 2019 took into account the encumbrance of payments to the State Treasury.
The decline in revenue is a result of lower traffic intensity on the A4 motorway Katowice-Kraków caused by the travel restrictions introduced in Poland and Europe in March this year in connection with the coronavirus pandemic. In Q1 2020, the average traffic intensity on the A4 motorway Katowice-Kraków decreased by over 10% compared to Q1 2019 and amounted to 37.7 thousand vehicles per day.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Stalexport Autostrady Capital Group is conducting a number of activities aimed at providing safety to the users of the A4 motorway Katowice-Kraków and the staff, with particular emphasis on those who have contact with customers. The priority is to minimise the amount of transactions which directly involve the payment collector and the driver - by cash, bank cards or fuel cards. The automatic payment methods available on the concession section of the A4 motorway - connected with the Autopay videotolling application, the A4Go electronic toll collection, and Telepass - do not require the driver to stop by the collector's cabin, open the window in the car, hand over cash or card, or collect the change and the receipt. By recommending drivers to use this toll payment method, it was decided to extend the preferential rates for contact-free automatic payments by the end of June of this year. In addition, electronic VMS boards installed above the motorway show messages encouraging the use of cash-free payments - payment cards or switching to automatic payment methods. At present, approx. 30% of transactions per week are contact-free.
The users of the electronic toll collection will be offered in June this year a new A4Go sales system, enabling a safe, remote borrowing and charging on-board devices, as well as provide a convenient management of user accounts online. We are currently working on the implementation of payments using SkyCash.
All the gate workers on the A4 motorway Katowice-Kraków were trained in connection with the coronavirus pandemic. They are equipped with disposable gloves, masks, disinfectants, dry and moistened tissues. Above the windows of the toll collection cabin, there are air curtains which prevent air from getting inside. The staff also performs cabin disinfection regularly. Payment collectors were instructed about the need to issue contactless card readers outside the cabins, thanks to which it is possible to use the card can be used by the driver on their own. The work schedule of the payment collectors is arranged in such a way as to ensure that as few people have contact with each other as possible.
Gas stations and restaurants at Rest Areas operate in accordance with state administration regulations concerning points of sale.
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