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eToll Discount Period A Failure?

Apr 04, 2016 eTolls, SANRAL, OUTA, Transport, Fleet, Logistics, economy


OUTA has released a statement regarding the claim by SANRAL that there had been an increase in e-Toll collections. According to OUTA: "in actual fact their numbers have remained low and relatively steady, oscillating between a high of R82 million and low of R59 million over the seven months from July 2015 to January 2016. To now suggest the e-toll collections of between R80m and R90m for February and March 2016 is a growth of any substance, is a feeble attempt at claiming success when there is none. We’ve seen this behaviour many times before from SANRAL, as they pump out propaganda in a desperate attempt to convince the public that all is on track for e-toll success."

In late 2015, SANRAL offered road users a 60% e-toll discount on outstanding bills, but with one month left of the discount dispensation the campaign has apparently seen less than R100 million of the R5,9 billion ringfenced debt collected. That means around 1,5% of the dispensation discount offer has been heeded.

“Throughout the first half of 2015, SANRAL’s e-toll collections averaged at R65 million per month, which was around half the level of SANRAL’s best e-toll revenue record of R120m in June 2014,” says Wayne Duvenage, OUTA’s Chairman. “Their record month was only achieved after six months of coercive threats of summonses and criminal records and despite this, they failed to collect less than half the R260 million monthly income, which Sanral frequently espoused as required and attainable, prior to the scheme’s launch.”

Sanral’s recent spin suggests that those who oppose the e-toll scheme, are the cause of the State Owned Entity’s financial woes and credit rating pressures. “Sanral’s financial predicament is self-inflicted and they should stop blaming others for a mess which they created,” says Duvenage. “Sanral cannot run roughshod over the public, with meaningless engagement programs and excessive collection contracts for an ill-conceived scheme to service the debt of an overpriced freeway upgrade, and expect us to fall for their nonsense.”

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