Smart Mobility, Seamless Payments፡ Powering Ethiopia’s Expressway with telebirr
Reinforcing its position as the primary catalyst for Ethiopia’s digital growth, Ethio telecom, in partnership with the Ethiopian Toll Roads Enterprise (ETRE), has launched a state-of-the-art digital toll payment solution. This centralized digital ecosystem redefines the users’ experience on the Addis Ababa-Adama expressway, one of the country’s most vital transport arteries, by offering seamless penalty payments, road service fees, and instant TOLO account top-ups.
This milestone directly accelerates the pillars of the “Digital Ethiopia 2030” roadmap and underscores Ethio telecom’s unwavering commitment to modernizing public services and ensuring that national infrastructure is as agile, transparent, and inclusive as the growing digital economy we are building for all citizens.
The Service and Penalty Management system replaces legacy manual workflows with a fully automated platform for processing traffic violations and road service fees and the TOLO Mini App, an RFID-integrated solution within the telebirr SuperApp facilitates a seamless “non-stop” travel experience by enabling automatic fee deductions and instant gate passage.
- Modernizing Service and Penalty Management
Previously, ETRE’s payment workflow relied on manual processes, including physical cash handling, bank transfers, and manual data entry into ERP systems. This often led to operational delays, revenue leakage, and traffic congestion at toll gates.
The new telebirr-integrated system automates these processes, providing a centralized platform for:
- Essential Road Services: Seamless payment for property damage fees, tipper/tow crane services, and vehicle parking fee.
- Comprehensive Penalty Payments: Covering overweight vehicle violation fee, unauthorized entry into expressway zones, and other traffic infractions.
- Operational Excellence: Management now benefits from real-time revenue collection, comprehensive dashboard and secure access control through Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), ensuring full transparency and accountability.
- TOLO Mini App (TOLO Account Top-Ups)
In addition to penalty and service payments, the partnership introduces an instant digital solution for TOLO Account (Electronic Toll Collection – ETC) top-ups, now available within the telebirr SuperApp. This system introduces an effortless “non-stop” travel experience:
- Smart Integration: Drivers simply equip their vehicles with an RFID tag. Upon registration, the vehicle’s account ID, toll card ID and plate number are digitally linked.
- Seamless Binding: Through the TOLO Mini App, drivers can easily link their vehicle profiles to their telebirr accounts. The system also allows them to manage up to 10 vehicles via the telebirr SuperApp and provide the flexibility to process top-ups for their own fleet or on behalf of other drivers.
- Automatic Toll Collection: By maintaining a sufficient balance in their telebirr integrated Tolo Mini App RFID account, drivers no longer need to stop. The system detects the RFID tag from a distance at the toll gate, automatically deducts the fee, and grants immediate passage.
Addressing Operational Challenges
This digital transition directly addresses long-standing bottlenecks in toll road management. By removing the need for manual cash deposits and paperwork, the system eliminates:
- Congestion: Reducing wait times and Traffic congestion at toll gates.
- Security: Mitigating risks associated with cash handling, such as theft and fraud.
- Efficiency: Eliminating manual data entry errors and significantly reducing reporting delays.
Key benefits for the Ethiopian Toll Roads Enterprise (ETRE)
- Ensures real-time visibility and centralized control over all revenue streams.
- Leverages telebirr’s massive user base to drive high adoption of digital payments.
- Boosts operational efficiency and eliminates revenue leakage through automation.
- Enhanced customer satisfaction.
Key benefits for the Customer
- Services are available 24/7, everywhere and anytime
- Convenience, fast and easy to use
- More Payment Flexibility
Driven by our ‘Next Horizon’ strategic roadmap, this collaboration with the Ethiopian Toll Roads Enterprise (ETRE) catalyzes the transformation of the transport sector into a smart, data-driven digital service. By leveraging the telebirr ecosystem, we are not merely eliminating operational bottlenecks; we are achieving the ‘Beyond Connectivity’ initiative that creates a unified digital environment where financial and public services converge to enhance the lives of our citizens.
This initiative is a vital contribution to Ethiopia’s national digital transformation agenda, serving as a blueprint for how digital platforms can modernize national infrastructure. Our focus remains on creating a seamless customer experience that mirrors the speed and agility of the digital economy. This partnership exemplifies our strategy in accelerating Ethiopia’s digital transformation toward a more connected, inclusive, and digitally empowered Ethiopia.
Ethio telecom
April 9, 2026
