From October 2019, travel on the main highways of the capital of the United Arab Emirates will be paid.
From October 15, 2019, motorists in Abu Dhabi will have to pay for travel on certain road sections. The payment system is similar to the Salik system, which has been operating in Dubai since 2007.
On the bridges Al Maqtaa, Mussafah, Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Khalifa will establish special gates (or "outposts"). All motorists passing through them will be charged non-cash in 4 dirhams ($ US 1.09) during peak hours in the morning and afternoon from Saturday to Thursday (from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.). The rest of the time on weekdays and Friday, the amount of fees will be 2 dirhams.
Unlike the Dubai Salik system, motorists in Abu Dhabi will not have to use special stickers to identify the vehicle. In the capital, identification will be carried out by license plate.
For passengers using one of the four main routes heading to or from Abu Dhabi during peak hours, the monthly fee for a five-day work week will be 160 dirhams ($ US 43.56). The daily maximum charge for one car cannot exceed 16 dirhams ($ US 4.36).
Drivers who violate the rules, for example, driving through gates in unregistered cars, will automatically receive fines of up to 10 thousand dirhams ($ US 2.72 thousand).
After a ten-day grace period, fines for driving an unregistered vehicle through a new gate will be 100 dirhams ($ US 272) on the first day, 200 dirhams on the second day, 400 dirhams ($ US 109) on the third day, but not more than 10 thousand dirhams.
Driving on a paid site without enough funds in the account of the owner of vehicles registered outside of Abu Dhabi will result in a fine of 50 dirhams ($ US 13.6) per day. A penalty of 10 thousand dirhams is provided for counterfeiting a license plate and causing damage to payment machines.
Ambulances, buses, motorbikes, taxis registered in Abu Dhabi, school buses and police vehicles were exempted from the fare, the Ministry of Transport said. Electric vehicles will also be released within the first two years of the introduction of the system.
All vehicles currently registered in Abu Dhabi will be automatically registered free of charge in the new system on August 30. Drivers will receive a text message with a username and password, which will allow them to access the account.
Owners of vehicles registered outside of Abu Dhabi must register themselves before leaving for a paid site. Otherwise, after a grace period of 10 business days, they will be fined.
The Ministry of Transport said the new paid system "encourages residents to use Abu Dhabi public transport." It also encourages the sharing of vehicles by families and employees of organizations.
"The fare collection system encourages people to plan their trips in advance, which has a positive effect on the sustainability of the transport sector and helps maintain infrastructure and the environment," the statement said.
