Transport portfolio committee welcomes new e-toll dispensation

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Pretoria - The Portfolio Committee on Transport has welcomed Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that there will be a significant reduction on what users will pay in e-toll fees in Gauteng.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Dikeledi Magadzi, said it was satisfying that the new monthly fee for private cars will be capped at R225, provided it is paid within 30 days after billing.

“Road maintenance and continuous improvements are a non-negotiable. These are issues that speak to the issue of road safety in our country. Sadly, the road users have to play their part in this positive development,” Magadzi said.

E-tolling, she said, is not an issue of the government versus the poor, but rather a tool used to encourage those who have to contribute something to infrastructure development.

“Economic benefit of e-tolling might appear as strife, but its long-term benefits are immeasurable.”

Magadzi said e-tolling is in line with the government’s objective of encouraging people to use public transport and she called on former opponents of e-tolls to start informing people of the benefits of it.

On Wednesday, the Deputy President announced a revamped payment method following a review that was commissioned by the Gauteng province.

According to the new dispensation, the Deputy President announced that:

  • Class A1 (motorcycles and similar) will pay 18 cents per kilometre – about a 50% reduction;
  • Class A2 (light motor vehicle and similar) will pay 30 cents per kilometre, down from 58 cents per kilometre;
  • Class B (medium heavy vehicles and similar) will now pay 75 cents per kilometre, also a 50% reduction; and
  • Those driving Class C (large vehicles and similar) will pay 150 cents per kilometre (also a 50% cut)

The Deputy President also announced that the e-toll fees that are currently outstanding will be discounted by 60%. Motorists that use tolled roads will have six months within which to settle their debts dating back to December 2013 at the discounted tariff.

To nab defaulters, government would look at traffic regulations and this will see users with outstanding e-toll bills being blocked from renewing their vehicle licence disks. - SAnews.gov.za