Following the publication of a letter related to the Controlled Vehicular Access (CVA) system in Valletta entitled CVA payments (TMID, 13 October), CVA Technology Company Limited would like to address some of the issues raised by listing some facts about the CVA system.
The actual bills that are sent to vehicle owners clearly state that penalties apply in instances where bills are not settled within the stipulated time. The company has also been consistently informing the general public that further information about the CVA system, penalties included, can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions and Access Tariffs and Penalties sections of the company’s website: www.cva.gov.mt. Those people who do not have internet access were invited to contact the company’s help desk on tel. 2206-4000.
The recorded introductory message that precedes live contact with a CVA member of staff lasts approximately 37 seconds and is a legal requirement when telephone conversations are being recorded for security and/or training purposes. To date, the average time that a person spends in a queue waiting to speak to a CVA member of staff is approximately one minute 42 seconds. This includes the time required to hear the obligatory introductory message. Although these waiting times are perfectly in line with industry standards the company will continue to make every effort to improve on this aspect.
The online payment gateway service hosted by CVA Technology Company Limited offers all the security features that are available today and is fully in line with international standards. Vehicle owners are asked to change their user name and password, which would have been issued automatically, for their added convenience and to assist them in remembering them. To date, the up time of the CVA website has been of 99.3 per cent, while planned maintenance of the system has been conducted only once and this was carried out overnight. These precautions have been taken so as to avoid any disruption during regular working hours.
CVA Technology Company Limited offers various options to settle one’s bills on time. These include: payment by cheque, cash or credit card payment at the CVA office in Marsa, or at the Valletta local council, on line through the CVA website via credit/debit card, by direct debit, and over the phone. The use of direct debit is strongly encouraged both to avoid the possibility of incurring late payment fees, and also to benefit from a 10 per cent discount on fees. Further information on the direct debit mandate is available online, or by contacting the company’s call centre.
Brian Gatt
CVA Technology Company Limited
Marsa