The Department of Transport (DoT) in Abu Dhabi on Sunday announced that the toll gates traffic system would start a trial operation from Oct.15, 2019 until Jan.1, 2020 for free.

The move aims at allowing road users the opportunity to complete registration procedures in the system.

The DoT further said that the elder citizens, retirees, martyrs’ family members, people of determination and low-income earners would be exempted from the tollgates tariff when applied as per the regulations.

In addition, the monthly cap of tariffs for private vehicles has also been determined. The cap for first vehicle will be Dhs200, for the second will be Dhs150 and for the any additional vehicle will be Dhs100 each, the DoT confirmed.

The daily cap per vehicle has been limited to Dhs16, the DoT said.

“The tariff of the Abu Dhabi’s traffic tollgates is among the lowest in the world, while roads in the UAE are rated the best in the world, according to the Global Competitiveness Report,” the department added.

According to the decision four toll gates on major bridges leading into the city of Abu Dhabi will be active from Oct.15, 2019, a move transport authorities said, will set to reduce traffic congestion and raise the efficiency of the transport sector.

The transport authorities also announced that electric vehicles would be exempted over a period of two years from the launch of the toll gate system, in order to preserve the environment and encourage sustainable living in the Emirate.

The toll gate system is being introduced in accordance with Law No.17 of 2017 on Road Tolls in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The 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 (7:00am - 9:00am and 5:00pm - 7:00pm).

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 (the Integrated Electronic Payment wallet). Vehicles will be automatically identified by their plate number without having to stick a tag on the windshield.

Account holders will automatically 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.