Kissing e-tolls goodbye could increase e-tag uptake

The shutdown of Gauteng’s open road electronic toll (e-toll) gantry system from 12 April 2024 could lead to increased adoption of the electronic tags (e-tags) that will still be useable at conventional toll gates on long-distance routes across South Africa.

That is the view of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse’s CEO Wayne Duvenage, who believes the tags will now prove more popular due to their benefits at toll plazas operated by the three major concessionaires.

“People and companies will most likely take up fitting e-tags, now that these tags will not bill them for use of the Gauteng freeways, which they may have defied on the basis promoted by Outa over the years,” Duvenage said.

The e-tags that are used for registering gantry pass-throughs of vehicles on roads that formed part of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP), commonly referred to as “e-tolls”, are the same devices that can be pre-loaded with credits for use at regular toll gates.

However, with the much-loathed Gauteng e-tolling system in place, users with an e-tag also had credit deducted from their account whenever they passed under a gantry.

They also could not use the e-tags at other toll gates if they didn’t load enough credit beforehand.

Where the gantries supported postpaid payments if a motorist did not have sufficient credit loaded, the e-tolls at toll plazas do not.

Even in cases where motorists temporarily removed the e-tag, Sanral could charge the amount to their e-toll bill thanks to the gantries’ licence plate recognition system.

Motorists had to link their vehicle’s licence plate number to an e-tag.

With e-tolls becoming a thing of the past, motorists who refused to pay can benefit from the faster dedicated tagged lanes at toll plazas, where e-tolls will remain connected.

They also won’t have to worry about getting out a card or cash to make payments.

However, it is still unclear whether historical e-toll debt will be written off.

As it stands, signing up for a new e-tag linked to a licence plate with an outstanding debt will link that tag to the same bill with e-toll charges from gantries in Gauteng.

“If someone now wants to take up the benefit of fitting an e-tag, and they find their account being debited for past outstanding bills, this will merely generate a reaction of not fitting e-tags to their vehicles for billing on other tolled routes,” Duvenage said.

“I believe if Sanral’s system does debit motorists for past debt, they will be shooting themselves in the foot and stifle the opportunity to increase the uptake of e-tags for the expanded use and repurposing of the e-tag system.”

The Department of Transport, Gauteng Provincial Government, and Sanral are set to hold a combined press briefing on Wednesday, 10 April 2024, to address the practical implications of the Gauteng e-toll shutdown.

They are expected to make a pronouncement on what will happen to outstanding e-toll bills and whether those few motorists who had paid for the system would be refunded, a promise previously made by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi.

If the historical debt will be scrapped, motorists interested in buying an e-tag can get one from selected, Checkers, Pick n Pay, or Shoprite stores for R49.95.

There are no additional fees for using the system, over and above what one would regularly pay when using cards or cash at toll booths.