TAXIS are exempt, but not private ambulances or off-duty police in their official vehicles.
Days before e-tolling starts in Gauteng, the government has produced draft regulations to sort out who is exempt from paying tolls. Most of the regulations focus on taxis.
But the regulations won’t be ready before tolling starts next Monday.
The draft regulations were finally issued last week and, despite The Star having asked both the SA National Roads Agency Ltd (Sanral) and the Department of Transport earlier in the week about the apparent failure to legalise the taxi toll exemption, neither mentioned it.
The department has set 20 days for public comment – a shorter period than usual – and the regulations will then have to be finalised, so this means the e-tolls start without the exemption in place.
It is only state-owned ambulances and firefighting vehicles that are exempt from e-tolls – meaning private ambulance services must pay.
Marked police vehicles used by the SAPS, provincial traffic officers and municipal police of Gauteng, Joburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni are exempt “while on official duty in their official capacity”, when the vehicles are owned or leased by Gauteng or those municipalities.
The regulation is confusing as it appears to include the SAPS, but limits the vehicles to those owned by the province or three metros.
The exempted ambulances and firefighting vehicles must be marked, on official duty, and owned by Gauteng or the metros of Joburg, Tshwane or Ekurhuleni.
It’s not clear how Sanral would know which police or ambulances will be on official duty and which not.
Public transport vehicles which may be exempted include taxis, buses and “scheduled commuter public transport” like scholar taxis and private contract transport. The public transport exemption is only for those whose officially registered routes include toll roads.
Those who want the exemption and qualify for it must register with Sanral and get an e-tag. Applications must include an unspecified fee (not refunded if the application fails).
Public transport exemption applications must also include operating licences, permits, timetables, route details and vehicle licences.
Emergency vehicle owners who want exemptions must provide Sanral with proof of its ownership or leasing.
The hurriedly written piece of law also adds definitions of “e-tag”, “e-toll plaza” and “GFIP toll roads” that Sanral forgot before.
The Justice Project SA’s Howard Dembovsky said:
“It is pertinent to note that should e-tolling go ahead on April 30, there will be no exemption mechanism in place at the launch.”
