E-toll new dispensation roll-out to start tomorrow
Pretoria, 30 June 2015. The new toll tariffs and monthly caps for registered users were gazetted on 17 June 2015 and are effective from tomorrow [2 July]. This is the first part of the New Dispensation announced by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa on 20 May this year.
“Government listened to the concerns of lower- and middle income communities about the impact of transport costs on their budgets, and responded by reducing the tariffs,” says SANRAL’s Head of Communications, Vusi Mona.
Account holders are the first to benefit from the new dispensation with reduced tariffs per kilometre and monthly caps on all classes of vehicles. For light vehicles the monthly cap is now only R225 for SANRAL account holders – down by 50% from the R450 per month that has been levied up until now. Existing SANRAL account holders can continue managing their account as usual. The system will be automatically adjusted to recognise SANRAL account holders.
Mona says existing payment options will remain in place and SANRAL account holders will continue to have access to a wide range of choices on how to settle their bills.
The introduction of the lowered standard tariff that is now the same as the e-tag tariff will provide relief to users who are not registered.
Because the Government Gazette is a legal instrument, notices must be written in ‘legalese’ – which is unfortunate as it makes it harder for the layperson to understand and for detractors to further confuse rather than clarify. However, in order to explain the contents of the Gazette, and also to explain the phased implementation of the New Dispensation, an explanatory memorandum was included in the toll tariff notice Gazette.
“We remind road users that all aspects of the new dispensation on the Gauteng e-roads will take place over the next 18 months,” Mona says. The table below clarifies what was announced, the time period for implementation and what was gazetted on 17 June:
|
Nr |
Announced |
Timeline announced |
Actual |
Gazette 38884 dd 17 June |
|
1. |
A single, reduced tariff will apply to all motorists. As an example, the current standard tariff of 58c per kilometre for light motor vehicles will be reduced to 30c per kilometre. This single tariff will apply to all motorists within a vehicle class whether they have an e-tag or not or whether they are registered with SANRAL or not. |
10 to 12 weeks |
4 to 6 weeks |
Section 3 – specifically 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3. This section sets a single, standard tariff applicable to all except for the alternate user (3.2.4). This is however only a de iure exception as a legislative change is required to do away with the term ‘alternate user’. De facto there is no such thing as an alternate user. |
|
2. |
The monthly cap has been dramatically reduced. Users of light motor vehicles who are directly registered with SANRAL will not pay more than R225 a month. This is half the current monthly cap of R450 a month. Revised caps will also be introduced for other vehicle classes. |
10 to 12 weeks |
4 to 6 weeks |
Section 5.14 and the table contained in this section. |
|
3. |
There will be no charge for infrequent users who make less than 30 gantry passes a year. If a user exceeds 30 gantry passes in a 12-month period, they will be liable for the usual charges. |
6 to 18 months |
To be gazetted |
To be gazetted as it requires legislative changes and/or extensive system changes. |
|
4. |
E-toll fees that are currently outstanding will be discounted by 60%. Users will have six months within which to settle debt or making a payment arrangement dating back to December 2013 at the discounted tariff. This does not disadvantage users who have been paying e-tolls all along. |
3 to 4 months |
To be gazetted |
Section 5.22 – note “it shall not come into operation on the Effective Date [2 July]) and shall only become operative from a date subsequently determined by the Minister and made known by the Minister in the Gazette”. |
|
5. |
Settlement of e-toll fees will be linked to licence renewal. To further simplify the process and ensure better integration of road management systems, motorists will need to settle any outstanding e-toll fees before vehicle licence discs are issued. |
6 to 18 months |
To be gazetted |
To be gazetted as it requires legislative changes and/or extensive system changes. |
“We are working with the Department of Transport and have already started with the administrative and legal processes to implement the new dispensation. The implementation requires software and operational changes that must be implemented in accordance with best practices. We want to test these changes to the system thoroughly to ensure a smooth transition,” says Mona.
The relief announced for road users that do not have a SANRAL account will also become applicable once changes have been made to the system. The implementation date of the 60% discount on existing debt in arrears, dating back to December 2013 will be announced by the Minister of Transport, once it becomes available.
Other innovations such as the 30 free gantry passes per annum will be announced once the system and administrative requirements have been fulfilled.
The new dispensation also means that all the administrative and technical loopholes will be closed. Every road user will pay their fair share while both the national and provincial governments will also make their contributions in accordance with the hybrid funding model that was proposed by the e-toll advisory panel.
Caps for registered account holders per vehicle class, per month
|
Class |
Description |
Dimensions (volumetric measure at tolling point) |
Cap |
|
A1 |
Motor cycles |
Total vehicle length less than 3,0 m, width less than 1,3 m and height less than 2,5 m |
R125.00 |
|
A2 |
Light vehicles (excluding motor cycles) |
Vehicle length (excluding trailer) less than 6,0 m and |
R225.00 |
|
B |
Small heavy vehicles(as per the specified volume and not a class A2 or class C vehicle) |
Total vehicle length, inclusive of any trailer longer than or equal to 6 m and smaller than or equal to 12,5 m |
R875.00 |
|
C |
Large heavy vehicles(as per the specified volume and not a class A2 or class B vehicle) |
Total vehicle length, inclusive of any trailer more than 12,.5 m |
R2 900.00 |
Statement issued by Fiki Masilela, Senior Consultant, Meropa Communications on behalf of SANRAL, June 30 2015
