Abu Dhabi confirms that four road toll gates will be operational from October

Abu Dhabi’s Department of Transport (DoT) has confirmed that four toll gates will be operational in the emirate from October 15, 2019.

The Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) will collect a toll as each vehicle crosses any of the four toll gates on Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Bridge, Al Maqtaa Bridge and Mussafah Bridge.

The toll fee will be Dhs4 for every pass during peak hours from Saturday to Thursday (7am – 9am and 5pm – 7pm).

During off-peak hours, on Fridays, and during public holidays, the toll fee will be Dhs2 for every pass.

The toll collection system is operational 24/7, with a daily maximum fee of Dhs16 per vehicle.

The amount due will be automatically deducted from a prepaid user account. Vehicles will be automatically identified by their plate number without having to stick a tag on the windshield, a statement said.

Electric vehicles will be exempt from the toll over a period of two years from the launch of the toll gate system, to boost sustainable living, it added.

The move is aimed at “reducing traffic congestion and raise the efficiency of the transport sector”, DoT said.

It is hoped to encourage the general public to use Abu Dhabi’s public transport network, reduce the use of private vehicles, and boost the use of carpooling by individuals working within the same organisation or from same family.

The toll gate system also “encourages the community to plan and organise their routes in advance and decide the most appropriate times to drive, which has a positive impact on traffic flow, helps to maintain infrastructure and reduces impact on the environment”, the statement added.

Officials said they expect to see revenues of Dhs400m per year from the move.

PROCEDURE

All motorists are required to open a special toll account through which they can manage their vehicles and process payments through an online system.

When the official registration system launches on August 30, all Abu Dhabi registered vehicles will automatically have registered accounts at no charge.

Account holders will receive an SMS message stating their user-name and password for that account, and can then add any additional vehicles to the registered account as required.

For vehicles registered outside Abu Dhabi, the owner must be registered in the system before crossing the toll gates.

In case a vehicle which is not registered crosses under the toll gates, the user will be given a grace period of 10 business days, starting from the crossing time, to register in the system, otherwise a fine applies.

Users must also have sufficient credit in their account when crossing the toll gate system.

Vehicles registered in Abu Dhabi may pay the toll fee according to the post-payment system during the licensing procedure in case of insufficient balance.

For vehicles registered outside Abu Dhabi with insufficient credit available in their user account, drivers have five business days to top up the account or they will face a fine.

Vehicle owners must also always keep the information on their license plates visible and clear at all times to ensure correct data-reading by the system.

They must update their personal and vehicle information in the account in the event of any changes occurring to that data within five business days.

FINES

Traffic fines for crossing the toll gate with a non-registered vehicle, after the 10-working days grace period, will be Dhs100 for the first day, Dhs200 for the second day, and Dhs400 for the third day, up to a maximum of Dhs10,000.

Crossing under the toll gates without sufficient balance in the user’s account for vehicles registered outside Abu Dhabi and after the grace period deadline, will result in a fine of Dhs50 each day.

In case users tamper with the vehicle’s license plate for the explicit purpose of evading the payment of fees, the fine is Dhs10,000.

Causing damage to any e-payment machines or toll gates will result in a fine of Dhs10,000.