Abu Dhabi rolls out road toll system

ABU DHABI — The Integrated Traffic Centre (ITC) of the Department of Municipalities and Transport in Abu Dhabi urged the owners of private and establishment vehicles registered in the emirate who have yet to register in the ‘DARB’ toll system to create an account on the ‘DARB’ toll system, activate it, and register their vehicles before Jan. 2, 2021, the date set for activating the system.

The ITC also stated that vehicle owners can register through the ‘DARB’ Toll system’s website https://darb.itc.gov.ae or the smart application, "DARB," pointing to the ease and speed with which a vehicle owner can create an account, register their vehicles, and top-up their wallet.

Around 200,000 accounts have been registered and activated in the ‘DARB’ Toll system by individuals and establishments ITC revealed that the number of vehicles that were registered and activated on the ‘DARB’ toll gate system has so far reached around 185,000 users, with around 15,000 registered as companies or institutions under the same procedure.

ITC also noted that the vehicle registration fee for the ‘DARB’ toll gate system is 100 dirhams per vehicle, of which 50 dirhams will be transferred to the user as a balance for their account.

ITC added that users will be able to benefit from the high-quality digital infrastructure offered by ‘DARB’ system to facilitate the registration process for vehicle owners and enable them to effectively and efficiently manage their accounts and complete all their transactions with comfort and ease.

ITC confirmed the use of 4 toll gates on the bridges leading to Abu Dhabi city, namely Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Bridge, Al Maqta Bridge, and Mussafah Bridge. A fee of 4 dirhams will be charged each time a vehicle crosses any of the mentioned gates during peak hours from Saturday to Thursday (from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m, and from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m). The maximum daily tolls for individual vehicles are set at 16 dirhams per vehicle.

ITC also pointed out that the system will not collect toll fees outside of peak hours, on Fridays, and on official holidays. Regular toll fees will be deducted automatically from the user's prepaid account through an integrated and advanced electronic wallet, indicating that the vehicle is identified by its number without the need to install a tag on the windshield.

The Monthly Toll Limit for Personal Vehicles ITC stated that the executive regulations issued by the Department of Municipalities and Transport, which specified that the maximum monthly toll cap for each individual vehicle should not exceed 200 dirhams for the first registered vehicle, 150 dirhams for the second registered vehicle, and 100 dirhams for each additional vehicle after that, noting that this classification will be based on the individual’s vehicle arrangement in the system.

In the event that one of the individual vehicles is exempted, the monthly toll fee will be applied to the remaining vehicles. Establishment vehicles will also be subject to the approved toll fees, but will not have the daily or monthly fee cap.

On the other hand, ITC announced that it had approved more than 8,000 requests for exemption from 'DARB' toll fees. The categories exempt from 'DARB' toll fees include senior citizens, retired citizens, low-income citizens, and people of determination. Within this context, ITC stressed the need for members of these groups to register in the 'DARB' toll gate system before submitting the exemption application and to attach all supporting documents needed when submitting the application through the system's website or through the 'DARB' smartphone application, provided that the exemption is limited to one vehicle only. Users can transfer the exemption from one vehicle to another, as per the owner's request, provided that the first vehicle exemption is canceled.

Traffic violations include the non-registration violation for unregistered vehicles crossing a gate for the first time after the grace period (10 working days) given to register their vehicles, amounting to a fine of 100 dirhams. The second violation is the non-registration violation for vehicles crossing a gate for the second time, amounting to a fine of AED 200 after the end of the grace period. A fine amounting to 400 dirhams will be added to the non-registered vehicle for every gate cross after the second violation. If a registered vehicle’s balance is insufficient, a fine of 50 dirhams will be applied after a grace period of 5 working days if the vehicle’s plates are not affiliated with the emirate of Abu Dhabi. A violation amounting to AED 10,000 will be applied in the event of a tampered license plate attempting to evade paying the toll fees. Another 10,000 dirhams violation will be applied in the case of any damage to the electronic payment devices or the toll gates.

It is worth noting that ‘DARB’ toll gate system is part of an integrated transport system and is in line with the Surface Transport Master Plan for the emirate of Abu Dhabi. The system aims to increase the efficiency of the transport sector, reduce the use of personal vehicles, and encourage community members to use alternative means of transport. It also gives users the time and the ability to plan their trips and select the appropriate times to travel.