Adam Johnston Presents a New Approach to Future RUC Compliance at T-TECH 2026

On July 7th 2026, RUC on Rails founder and CEO Adam Johnston has presented the company’s latest research into future light-vehicle Road User Charges compliance at the ITS New Zealand T-TECH 2026 conference.

Held in the large Room 407 auditorium at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Engineering, the presentation brought together senior figures from across New Zealand’s transport, technology, consulting, and government sectors.

Among the many in the room were Peter Carr from EROAD, Scott Wilson from CDM Smith, and Ministry of Transport officials Anna Wilson-Farrell and Matthew Skinner, alongside representatives from across the wider intelligent transport industry.

The presentation was formally titled “Achieving RUC Compliance Through Timing, Software and Re-engagement; Not Enforcement.”

It explored how better timing, privacy-preserving software, and more relevant consumer communication could prevent drivers from falling out of compliance before enforcement becomes necessary.

“It was a great room to present to because the audience understood both the operational reality of RUC and the scale of the future light-vehicle transition,” says Johnston.

“There were people there from government, established RUC providers, consulting, technology, infrastructure, and emerging transport businesses. That made it possible to have a much more serious conversation about what consumer compliance will actually require.”

Three different forms of non-compliance

The presentation drew on RUC on Rails’ Future RUC Consumer Expectations Research, including face-to-face surveying of 1,098 light-vehicle drivers, platform behaviour, search analysis, social-media sentiment, and targeted research into non-compliance.

Rather than treating every non-compliant driver as the same problem, Johnston presented three distinct consumer segments:

• The neglectful driver, who misses the moment to purchase.

• The reluctant driver, who delays because of concerns about cost, privacy, trust, or control.

• The deliberate evader, who actively attempts to defeat the system.

“The mistake would be to treat all three groups as though they require the same response,” says Johnston.

“The neglectful driver needs better timing and engagement. The reluctant driver needs trust, transparency, and control. Enforcement should be reserved for the smaller group deliberately trying to evade the system.”

The presentation also highlighted the wider communications challenge facing the transition.

RUC on Rails’ research found that public awareness is broad but often shallow, while misinformation, concerns about fuel pricing, and fears around GPS tracking are already shaping how future RUC users view the system.

Predicting when drivers are likely to run out of RUC

A major focus of the presentation was RUC on Rails’ software-led approach to customer re-engagement.

The research found that most future RUC customers are unlikely to purchase well in advance. Sixty-two percent said they would buy when close to running out, with the preferred engagement window falling between approximately 200 and 20 kilometres remaining.

RUC on Rails has developed a predictive model that estimates when a vehicle is likely to enter that window using information already associated with its licence plate, including Warrant of Fitness odometer history, estimated daily usage, remaining RUC balance, data age, and reading consistency.

The model does not require continuous GPS tracking, an OBD device, or live vehicle telematics.

Testing across 20,000 synthetic driver profiles produced predictions within 10 days of the simulated runout date in approximately 85 to 92 percent of cases, with an average error of around five to eight days.

“For enforcement, that level of prediction would not be enough, and it should never be used for that,” says Johnston.

“For engagement, it is more than enough. The purpose is simply to reach someone when buying RUC has become relevant, but before they have actually fallen out of compliance.”

A strong result at T-TECH 2026

The presentation was well received by the audience and was awarded second place for Best Presentation at T-TECH 2026.

For RUC on Rails, the event was an opportunity to move the conversation beyond broad claims about innovation and into the practical realities of consumer behaviour, privacy, payment timing, and future compliance.

“The best part was that the conversation did not end when the presentation finished,” says Johnston.

“We had strong follow-up discussions with people from across the sector about the research, the predictive model, and how an engagement-first approach could fit into the future RUC market.”

Johnston closed the presentation with a simple argument:

“In our view, the best RUC compliance system is not the one that catches the most people after they fail.”

“It is the one that uses engagement and technology to make compliance easier than non-compliance.”

The full presentation slides can be viewed here:

View the T-TECH 2026 presentation slides here.

The complete transcript of Adam Johnston’s presentation can be read here:

See the full presentation transcript here.