Tolls to bring in R5.7bn in 2 years

SANRAL is expecting a 70 percent increase over two years in tollgate income but says this is not a plan for a massive toll fees hike.

The Budget documents released last week show the SA National Roads Agency Ltd income from “tollgate fees” jumps from R2 billion in 2011/12 to R3.4bn in 2012/13 and to R5.7bn in 2014/15.

This is a 70 percent increase over the two years from 2012/13, when Gauteng’s electronic tolls start, to 2014/15.

“The start of the electronic toll collection from 2012 is reflected in the increase in toll revenue from R2bn to R5.7bn over the medium term, at an average annual rate of 42 percent,” said the Budget documents.

A senior Sanral official, who asked not to be named, said the increase was not due to plans to raise toll charges substantially or add more toll points.

“It’s because you’ve got a ramp-up period for the first year, so you don’t assume 100 percent of your revenue for the first year.

“It’s not because of the toll fee increase, because the only toll fee increase is CPI on all our budget numbers. There are no additional toll gates… next year either.”

Another factor was that the 2012/13 toll revenue was based on 11 months of Gauteng income as tolls start on April 30, a month into the financial year.

Studies showed that when tolls started, motorists diverted for a while but later returned to the toll roads and this was factored into the financial planning. A normal annual traffic growth was also included.

The official dismissed concerns of huge increases in the Gauteng tolls. “For the past 20 years, Sanral’s always only increased the toll fees by the CPI,” she said.

E-tolling was to have started on the upgraded Gauteng freeways a year ago, but consistent public protest led to numerous postponements.

Now the government is to bail out Sanral with R5.8bn by the end of the current financial year next month.

This bailout is specifically for the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project, to cover the losses from the late start to the e-tolls and the lower toll charges.