We’ve been receiving a lot of queries lately regarding how the Abu Dhabi tolls would affect cars hired in Dubai, Sharjah and other emirates that wish to travel to Abu Dhabi. So we’ve decided to answer frequently asked questions sent our way.
On Sunday December 22 , the Department of Municipalities and Transport in Abu Dhabi declared that there will be no toll gate fee charged during off-peak hours in the capital.
When will the Abu Dhabi toll gates be operational?
These toll gates are on a trial period from the October 15, 2019 until January 1, 2020 which means that tolls will not be charged until the 1st of January. This trial period will help the commuters evaluate and consider other environmentally friendly options like public transport, motorcycles or electric cars which are exempted from these tolls.
Why are these tolls being introduced?
These tolls are introduced as an attempt at reducing congestion on roads and encouraging efforts of using environment friendly transport options, Abu Dhabi Department of Transport and Integrated Transport Centre announced the introduction of four tollgates on major highways in Abu Dhabi.
Where will these toll gates be situated?
The toll gates to be introduced will be on four major highways in Abu Dhabi, namely:
- Sheikh Zayed Bridge
- Mussafah Bridge
- Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Bridge
- Al Maqtaa Bridge.
What will the Abu Dhabi toll charges be?
These toll gates will not charge the usual AED 4 that other toll gates in other emirates do. The tolls rates will fluctuate from AED 4 to AED 2 depending upon the days and the peak and off peak hours. 4 AED will be charged for using the toll gates on weekdays i.e. Saturdays to Thursdays between 7 AM – 9 AM and 5 PM – 7 PM. Outside these times, on Fridays and public holidays these toll gates will charge AED 2. Incase of vehicles making multiple trips to and from Abu Dhabi in a day, only the standard maximum amount of AED 16 will be charged irrespective of the number of trips made.
Also, exemptions will be made for public service vehicles, licensed taxis, ambulances, police cars, Ministry of Interior vehicles, armed forces and civil defense cars. In addition to that, electric cars, trailers, motorcycles and passenger buses carrying more than 26 people will also be exempted from these tolls.
How will these tolls be paid?
Unlike the toll gates in Dubai, these toll gates will not be using salik tags. Instead, the toll will be charged through an online system which will enable the commuters to pay through an e wallet and top up whenever necessary. All the vehicles registered in Abu Dhabi will be automatically registered in this whereas non-Abu Dhabi cars will have to register on the new online system before the October 15, 2019.
For people using rental cars in the UAE, the registration process will be taken care of by the rental agencies. The car rental agencies will also provide assistance in the process of setting up e-wallets for the payment of these tolls.
What fines will be incurred?
For non-Abu Dhabi vehicles not registered, a grace period of 10 days will be given wherein they can get registered and pay their dues. However, failing to do so will incur a fine for everyday an unregistered vehicle passes through these toll gates. The fine will start from AED 100 for the first day, move up to AED 200 for the second and AED 400 for the third and will keep increasing as the days go by. The maximum fine charged for this violation will be AED 10,000. Non-Abu Dhabi cars will also be liable to a fine of AED 50 if their accounts have insufficient funds while using the toll gates.
We hope this post has helped you create a better understanding of the new tolls. You can hit us up in the comments section below if you have more queries. We will be delighted to check the right resources and answer them for you. For more information you can reach the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport or the Integrated Transport on their helpline numbers or drop them a message.
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