Highway Toll Administration LLC (HTA), providing electronic toll payment services within the auto rental industry, announces the achievement of one million tolls paid by rental agency customers using the proprietary HTA system.

Studies have demonstrated that electronic toll collection contributes to significant reductions in vehicle emissions and fuel consumption, and plays a small role in reversing global warming.

"Electronic toll collection for auto rental consumers is our contribution to driver safety, driver choices and service enhancement, while significantly decreasing the amount of toll violations received by the rental agency," says HTA president David Centner.

In addition, HTA today released Version 2.0 of its proprietary patent-pending technology platform, including the new "QuickStart Program," a set of automated systems and procedures that reduce the time to equip rental vehicles with transponders to as little as 2 weeks.

HTA announced in March 2006 that Cendant Car Rental Group's Avis and Budget brands would equip their fleets this summer with HTA's toll collection devices in the E-ZPass region which extends from Virginia to Maine and includes Illinois toll roads, and in the SunPass region in Florida.

HTA attaches transponders to the vehicle, an approach that has proven to be safest and easiest for the consumer to use, and automatically charges the rental customer for actual tolls incurred plus a small daily fee for the service.