Barrier Free Tolling - Best Providers

[Frank]

So who is the best provider then?

What is the chance the Irish people would stand up and not pay the toll at all.

 

[mik_da_man]

Well I went for etrip cause I'm an AA Member and get discounts.
It works out the cheapest for me as I use a fair bit of toll booths and they do some carparks too which is handy.

They have a current offer of €25 free parking for AA members when you sign up.

I have no connection to them - Just the best deal I found for myself.

Mik

 

[carpedeum]

The €1 Euro management fee per tag with eFlow is not too bad for me. Other tag suppliers have higher monthly fees and purchase deposits.

All tags will be accepted at all toll roads. I would use the M50, EastLink and M1 tolls regularly every month and the Port Tunnel at weekends (great value at €3... into town and parked on the quays near the Point in 10 mins!) so the speed of passage and convenience is worth it.

This is the future guys! Big debate on going in Seattle, where I'm just back from, on road pricing.... tag/transponder in the car, linked to a satellite and billing per kilometre! To me this is the fairest deal... IF they abolish car tax for environmentally friendly cars and up the tax for the guzzlers. I'm more worried about the price of petrol... nuclear energy and cheap electric cars may be the answer!

Now if only they could enable the tag for parking at meters in Dublin city and paying for petrol at pumps... now that's efficiency!

 

[Yachtie]

I am really ****ed off for having to buy a feckin' toll tag and keep topping it up. FFS, barrier-free systems operate all over the world with very few problems. I believe that more people would be inclined to get tags if they were more reasonably priced and if using the tag made the toll cheaper (€1,70 instead of €2 for example) as surely this bears less costs than having 24/7 workforce sitting in those miserable toll boths on the M50.

Now if only they could enable the tag for parking at meters in Dublin city and paying for petrol at pumps... now that's efficiency!

eTrip are looking at enabling their tags to pay for your petrol. Meters are a bit more difficult though!

 

[Welfarite]

EToll: Most efficient payment system for infrequent users?

As an infrequent user of the M50 (about 5-6 times per annum), I'm a bit confused as to how I can pay the least amount of tolls. As far as I can see from the website, If I register for the tag (the cheapest toll), I will have to pay €40 upfront and a minimum balance of €12 plus in the account. Am I correct in this? The sme applies to the "video" option?

This means the toll company has use of my money (which I never might pay in tolls in any case forever until I die. As far as I can see, if I don't pay in advance , I'll have the hassle of paying a 150% toll within a period of time, via internet/phone. (what if I'm going abroad on holiday?)

Given the infrequent and ad hoc nature of my "tolling", what is my best option? Is the old system of queueing/cash still going to operate?

 

[theoneill]

Re: EToll: Most efficient payment system for infrequent users?

I'm in the same boat, any info would be great

 

[rgfuller]

Re: EToll: Most efficient payment system for infrequent users?

As an infrequent user (of the m50) your best option is to pre-register with eFlow.ie and just allow them bill you based on electronic reading (video account/registration) of your number plate (eflow allow you to post-pay if you are concerned about them having a small balance of your money whereby your accumulated toll charges for each month are charged against your chosen payment means (DD or credit card) during the first week of the following month).

Being unregistered on the m50 means the toll is €1 more per trip (€3) compared to a tag user (€2) and 50cent more than a pre-registered video account (€2.50).

Here is a quick breakdown of trips vs cost (only at 25 trips per year is the tag cheaper than the video pre-registration, being unregistered is always more expensive and seems alot more hastle).

Per year:
Trips
***Tag
*******UnReg
************PreReg
1 * €14 * €03 * €02.50 (video pre-reg cheaper from 1-23 trips per year)
2 * €16 * €06 * €05
3 * €18 * €09 * €07.50
4 * €20 * €12 * €10
5 * €22 * €15 * €12.50
6 * €24 * €18 * €15
7 * €26 * €21 * €17.50
8 * €28 * €24 * €20
9 * €30 * €27 * €22.5
10 * €32 * €30 * €24
11 * €34 * €33 * €27.5
12 * €36 * €36 * €30
13 * €38 * €39 * €32.50
14 * €40 * €42 * €35
15 * €42 * €45 * €37.50
16 * €44 * €48 * €40
17 * €46 * €51 * €42.50
18 * €48 * €54 * €45
19 * €50 * €57 * €47.50
20 * €52 * €60 * €50
21 * €54 * €63 * €52.50
22 * €56 * €66 * €55
23 * €58 * €69 * €57.50 (video pre-reg cheaper)
24 * €60 * €72 * €60 (tag and video pre-reg similar)
25 * €62 * €75 * €62.50 (tag cheaper)


However if you go unregistered you need to pay your toll by 8pm the following day!

"For unregistered users, if you don’t pay your toll before 8pm on the day following your journey, an additional penalty of €3 will be added to the outstanding toll amount. If you fail to pay the toll and the initial €3 penalty within the next 14 days, a further penalty of €40 will be levied. Failure to pay the full amount due within a further 56 days will result in an additional €100 penalty being applied. Thereafter, if you still have not paid the amount due legal proceedings will be initiated."

 

[ClubMan]

Duplicate/overlapping threads merged.

 

[demoivre]

Re: EToll: Most efficient payment system for infrequent users?

just allow them to send you a bill based on electronic reading of your number plate.

If you elect not to register you must pay the €3 toll by 8pm the following day if not you will receive a notice asking for the toll plus a €3 default toll. See [broken link removed]. As an infrequent user I'm not going to register and just pay the €3 toll by 8 pm the following evening. TBH I couldn't care less about the €3 if this barrier free system saves me sitting in gridlock traffic around that Westlink toll bridge.

 

[Welfarite]

Re: EToll: Most efficient payment system for infrequent users?

As an infrequent user (of the m50) your best option is to pre-register with eFlow.ie and just allow them bill you based on electronic reading (video account/registration) of your number plate (eflow allow you to post-pay if you are concerned about them having a small balance of your money whereby your accumulated toll charges for each month are charged against your chosen payment means (DD or credit card) during the first week of the following month).

As an infrequent user, post-paying would seem to be my best option (of poor options). I do not want a private company to be holding up to €40 of my money for no good reason. As a post payer, I have the trouble of making sure I find a Payzone (where are they?)or pay online/by phone within, at most 24 hours. Otherwise I get penalised by 100% of the toll.

Hmmm.

Maybe I'll take to the back roads again like the old days. Come to think of it, maybe that's the intention behind this profiteering scheme ....

 

[lazylump]

When you think about what you are paying for its mad. Correct me if I'm wrong but most people don't realize that public funding paid for the M50.

The toll operator got a nice deal to build a bridge at an initial cost of 40million in 1984. All alternative routes were blocked and I also seem to remember talk about this toll just lasting a few years until cost is covered.

Now we are in a situation where users have to budget for this charge and some drivers penalized for paying cash. Of course government will be arrogant as to how this charge affects people whilst not understanding the implications of their actions. They and the operator are making a lot of money from this source.

Having said all that I got hit for a toll in France for 47 odd euros a few weeks ago and still recovering from the shock of it.

 

[rgfuller]

Re: EToll: Most efficient payment system for infrequent users?

As an infrequent user, post-paying would seem to be my best option (of poor options). I do not want a private company to be holding up to €40 of my money for no good reason. As a post payer, I have the trouble of making sure I find a Payzone (where are they?)or pay online/by phone within, at most 24 hours. Otherwise I get penalised by 100% of the toll.

Hmmm.

Maybe I'll take to the back roads again like the old days. Come to think of it, maybe that's the intention behind this profiteering scheme ....

I meant that pre-registering a Video account (but choosing a post-pay type of account) is your best option, then it gets automatically paid from your credit card or via direct debit the following month.

It's only if you don't bother registering at all that you have to pay via payzone or online or via phone the same or following day before having to pay an extra €3.

 

[Welfarite]

Re: EToll: Most efficient payment system for infrequent users?

I meant that pre-registering a Video account (but choosing a post-pay type of account) is your best option, then it gets automatically paid from your credit card or via direct debit the following month.

It's only if you don't bother registering at all that you have to pay via payzone or online or via phone the same or following day before having to pay an extra €3.

OK, so what you're saying is that I don't have to pay €40 upfront if I pre-register a video account?

 

[peelaaa]

When you think about what you are paying for its mad. Correct me if I'm wrong but most people don't realize that public funding paid for the M50.

The toll operator got a nice deal to build a bridge at an initial cost of 40million in 1984. All alternative routes were blocked and I also seem to remember talk about this toll just lasting a few years until cost is covered.

Now we are in a situation where users have to budget for this charge and some drivers penalized for paying cash. Of course government will be arrogant as to how this charge affects people whilst not understanding the implications of their actions. They and the operator are making a lot of money from this source.

Having said all that I got hit for a toll in France for 47 odd euros a few weeks ago and still recovering from the shock of it.

France has a great road network though, even their toll free roads have a better surface than here.

 

[ButtermilkJa]

Oh my god here we go again. Irish people complaining about something they asked for for years, and now have!

As for the extra charges, you mean €1 per month for the extra convenience of not having to stop at barriers. Come on! I frown at Government over-spending like the rest of us, but someone has to pay for the new 3 lane motorway and barrier-free driving. Why not the people who use it? Why penalise every driver through road tax?

If you don't like it you have a choice, don't use the M50. Go off and drive somewhere else.

To answer the OP, I have been registered with EasyPass for the last year and have had no trouble with it whatsoever. It tops itself up automatically, no hassle, and it works on every toll around the country. €1 per month admin and the tag has always registered and never broken down. Very happy with the service.

Haven't heard anything about other operators.

 

[rgfuller]

Re: EToll: Most efficient payment system for infrequent users?

OK, so what you're saying is that I don't have to pay €40 upfront if I pre-register a video account?

Yep - that's what I gather from the eflow.ie account setup page.

 

[bacchus]

if you pre-register a video account, do you still have to pay €1 per month for admin charges?

 

[Complainer]

All alternative routes were blocked

what routes got blocked?

 

[lazylump]

what routes got blocked?

You know your right but I did say "correct me if I'm wrong" There is no alternative to M50 toll bridge and never was.

Its some years since I lived in Dublin but I do remember at one time trying to cross the Liffey at Chapelizod and finding the road I wanted to use closed I think it might have been the Old Lucan Road

 

[Complainer]

You know your right but I did say "correct me if I'm wrong" There is no alternative to M50 toll bridge and never was.

Its some years since I lived in Dublin but I do remember at one time trying to cross the Liffey at Chapelizod and finding the road I wanted to use closed I think it might have been the Old Lucan Road

I've used Chapelizod bridge or the back roads around Lucan to avoid the M50 many times in recent years. No roads were closed.