Adam Johnston to Present at ITS Australia Global Summit 2026

RUC on Rails founder and CEO Adam Johnston will speak at the ITS Australia Global Summit in Melbourne on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, sharing new research into what everyday drivers expect from the future of Road User Charges.

Held from 22–24 September at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, the ITS Australia Global Summit brings together private companies, government agencies and academic institutions working across intelligent transport systems, road charging and transport technology in Australia and internationally.

Johnston’s presentation, “New Zealand’s RUC Transition: What Solutions Are Everyday Drivers Expecting?”, will form part of Breakout 16 – Ticketing, Tokens, Pricing, and Accounts.

The presentation looks at New Zealand’s RUC transition from the consumer perspective, drawing on RUC on Rails’ research into how everyday drivers think about automation, hardware, GPS tracking, payment control, convenience and trust.

“A lot of road charging technology has understandably been designed around fleets, because that’s where the market has traditionally been,” says Johnston.

“But when you move into a mass-consumer environment, you’re dealing with a very different customer. We’ve spent a lot of time asking everyday drivers what they actually want from RUC, and some of the answers are quite different from the assumptions you often hear within the industry.”

Alongside the research, Johnston will bring a startup and operator perspective to the discussion. Through RUC on Rails, he has been involved in building consumer RUC products, researching driver behaviour and working through the commercial, policy and technology questions emerging as New Zealand opens Road User Charges to a much larger consumer market.

Johnston speaks on Road User Charges, road charging, consumer behaviour and the development of New Zealand’s emerging RUC market, with a particular focus on what changes when systems traditionally designed for fleets need to work for millions of everyday motorists.

The ITS Australia presentation will explore where consumer expectations differ from traditional fleet-focused approaches, the risks of simply extending existing fleet technology into everyday light vehicles, and where opportunities may emerge for companies looking at New Zealand’s future RUC market.

Johnston will present from 2:45pm to 3:00pm in Meeting Room 109 as part of the Summit’s Wednesday afternoon programme.

The appearance follows Johnston’s presentation at T-TECH 2026 in Auckland, where he presented RUC on Rails’ research into light-vehicle RUC compliance and consumer behaviour. He also serves on the ITS New Zealand board and has previously presented on Road User Charges policy to Parliament’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee.

View speaker profile and session details