E-toll tariffs

This is why they are
reasonable

Every year toll tariffs are adjusted upwards. Minister of Transport Blade Nzimande has approved an adjustment of toll tariffs on national roads for the 2019/20 tax year. This adjustment also had an effect on the e-toll tariffs.

Why do e-toll tariffs increase?
The adjustments are made on an annual basis to keep the tariffs aligned with inflation. Last year another contribution to the upward adjustment was the one percentage point VAT increase which was added to the toll tariff.

If the toll tariffs go up every year, aren’t those who say they are unreasonable correct?
No. The basic principle is that you pay for what you use - water, electricity, and a road.
So, if you don’t drive on the N1 in inner Gauteng, you will not pay anything. How frequently you use this magnificent highway will thus determine how much you pay. Except that there is a limit. No matter how often you drive on the road, the maximum monthly cap is R266. If you use the road very seldom - like less than 30 times a year – it will cost you nothing. And taxis, buses, ambulances don’t pay.

E-tolls are, in fact, pro-poor. Oh, discounts for frequent users as well as qualifying local users are applicable.

Plus the annual adjustment is in line with inflation. This means simply that in real money value terms the tariffs stay the same. That is being reasonable.

What are e-toll fees used for anyway? The income from tolling on GFIP goes to SANRAL. This is utilised to

  • service debt
  • repay capital
  • pay for freeway management, emergency assistance and the intelligent transport system (ITS)
  • fund periodic and routine maintenance (such as debris removal)
  • pay ETC in accordance with the terms of the contract.

Almost 100% of Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) employees are South Africans. They have benefited from the jobs created through the contract, skills transfers and empowerment.

Did you know?

Only 2 952km of the 22 214km network that SANRAL is responsible for constitute toll roads. In 2007, congestion on the N1 southbound occurred between 3.30pm and 6.30pm. If there had been no upgrade of the road, the peak period would have spread to the whole afternoon. The cost of major reconstruction can be up to 18 times higher than it would have been if routine preventative maintenance had not been undertaken.

Free flow of traffic keeps economy turning

SANRAL’s long-term planning and timely expansion of the Gauteng freeway network have prevented major traffic congestion that could have hampered economic growth in southern Africa’s economic core.

Statistics show the growth in traffic between Johannesburg, Pretoria and Ekurhuleni – the three major metros that are connected through the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP).

More than 130 000 vehicles per hour enter and leave the GFIP network during peak periods. With an estimated 1.2 persons per vehicle this means that almost 2 million people are making use of these roads every day. In most instances people make return trips between two destinations.

Over the past decade the daily road traffic has increased by about 22%. Without GFIP the roads would not have been able to handle the rapid growth with potentially devastating consequences for

economic activity.

Projections now indicate that the network is again reaching capacity, especially during peak hours. When the freeways are operating at these volumes travel times become unpredictable and the slightest incident on the road can cause considerable delays for commuters. This will require the construction of additional roads on the GFIP network.

GFIP has also contributed significantly to the safety of commuters within Gauteng. SANRAL introduced an Incident Management System which monitors the network, identifies crashes and broken-down vehicles and alerts first responders.

This early detection of incidents contributes to greater cooperation with law enforcement and emergency services. Quicker on-road assistance prevents secondary accidents caused by stranded vehicles and contributes to less congestion and a freer flow of traffic.


Gauteng’s freeways by the numbers


2 million
the number of person trips per day carried on the network




8200
the number of vehicles per hour travelling between Buccleuch and Allendale on a busy day


4.7%
the annual average
growth in traffic since
2010




30%
the reduction in time to respond to accidents since the introduction of SANRAL’s Incident Management System

BUILDING SOUTH AFRICA THROUGH BETTER ROADS

HELLO GUATENG 2019