“We would like to thank all Gauteng motorists who have responded positively to our call to register their vehicles for E-tolling,” says Vusi Mona, Sanral spokesperson.
He adds that the monies collected from E-tolling will go towards road maintenance and servicing the debt incurred, while Sanral built the road infrastructure on Gauteng’s highways.
“Motorists who have been using the Gauteng E-roads have, among other things, been enjoying less congested roads, resulting in time saving,” says Mona.
According to him, prior to the construction of the new road infrastructure in Gauteng, the Automobile Association had conducted an independent study, which showed that motorists were spending about 40 hours a month sitting in traffic.
“We have ensured that the E-tolling system is complimented by our on-road services. These include the Sanral branded cars on the highways to ensure that if there is an incident, or any form of disturbance on the road, they respond quickly.
“This quick response time ensures that there are no longer prolonged traffic jams on the E-roads as a result of an incident. The services also include quick medical response in the event of an accident on the E-roads.”
Sanral also has a high-tech Freeway Management System (FMS), which is integrated with the E-toll system.
The FMS notifies motorists of any accidents on the highway so that they can manage their trips and informs people if they are going to be delayed.
“We believe that in spite of the billing challenges emanating from largely unregistered users, and the customer service issues at some of our service outlets and call centre, the system is working, and motorists are cooperating with us as evidenced in the 30 000 to 45 000 registrations we are seeing per week.”
Outa claims that Sanral’s number of 1.2-m E-tags “taken up” is untrue, and intended to create the false impression that society is clamouring to become tagged.
“If they are inferring that these are fitted in cars making use of the Gauteng highways, this is misinformation,” says John Clarke, the Spokesperson for Outa.
He adds that the real question is why Sanral does not allow an independent journalist or auditor to simply take a look at their computer screen, in their operations centre, where this information is readily available.
“What we would like to know the exact percentage of E-tagged vehicles passing under the gantries, in total, by day and month to date for February.
“For all we know, Sanral’s numbers include tags sitting on shop shelves, storerooms and elsewhere, but they are of no use if not fitted to vehicles travelling on the Gauteng highways.”
