Charging at the new Abu Dhabi road toll gate system will not begin until 1 January 2020 and a free trial period from 15 October will be in place, it was announced by the Department of Transport in Abu Dhabi. In the announcement the Department of Transport in Abu Dhabi said “This trial period will provide residents more time to plan the best travel times and explore transport alternatives.”
The Abu Dhabi road toll gate system aims to ease congestion and traffic on and off the island. Currently it is reported that 44,000 vehicles per hour enter or leave Abu Dhabi and the new toll system is expected to reduce that by around 6% during peak periods. Toll gate charges are Dhs 4 during peak hours which are 7.00am to 9.00am and 5.00pm to 7.00pm Saturday through to Thursday, and Dhs 2 at all other times on those days, as well as all day on Friday and on all public holidays. There is a maximum limit of Dhs 16 per day.
In the announcement from the Department of Transport in Abu Dhabi, additional information was given including the that once the fees are implemented, certain people will be exempt from charges such as people of determination, senior citizens and retirees, the family members of martyrs and low income earners. It was also announced that as well a the daily cap of Dhs 16, there is a monthly cap of Dhs 200 for the first vehicle, Dhs 150 for the second vehicle and Dhs 100 for each vehicle after that.
Registration for vehicles not registered in Abu Dhabi is necessary and can be done at a charge of Dhs 100 online through the website https://itps.itc.gov.ae