Abu Dhabi's New Electronic Toll System: Implementation and Details

Introduction of the Electronic Toll System

Following in the footsteps of Dubai and its introduction of the road toll system Salik in 2007, Abu Dhabi's Department of Transport (DoT) announced that it too will be implementing an electronic toll system in the coming months. Scheduled to be active from 15^th October 2019, four toll gates will be active around Abu Dhabi city and will be located at:

• Sheikh Zayed Bridge
• Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Bridge
• Al Maqtaa Bridge
• Mussafah Bridge

Purpose and Benefits of the New Toll System

As per Abu Dhabi’s Department of Transport, the introduction of the road toll system is set to:

• Easing congestion in the city
• Encouraging motorists to rely on more sustainable options

Sustainable options include public transport, ride sharing, and electric cars, which are exempt from tolls for a duration of two years.

Toll Charges and Operational Hours

Passing a toll gate will incur a charge of:

• AED 4 during peak hours (7am to 9am and 5pm to 7pm)
• AED 2 during non-peak hours on all days except Friday

On Fridays and other public holidays, the toll will remain AED 2 for the entire day. The toll will be charged 24 hours a day, with a maximum daily fee of AED 16 per vehicle.

How the Toll System Works

Unlike the Salik toll system in Dubai, vehicles passing through the Abu Dhabi toll gates will be identified by their number plates without the need to stick a tag on their windscreen. All road users will be required to:

• Open a special prepaid toll account
• Top it up online or through e-payment machines distributed across the emirate

Account Setup for Vehicles

All Abu Dhabi registered vehicles will be automatically given an account on 30^th August 2019 at no additional cost. Account holders will receive an SMS message with their username and password and can then add any additional vehicles to their registered account. For vehicles registered in other emirates, owners must register them in the system before crossing toll gates in Abu Dhabi.

Fines for Non-Compliance

Fines for crossing the toll gate with a non-registered vehicle after the ten days grace period will be:

1. AED 100 for the first day
2. AED 200 for the second day
3. AED 400 for the third day
4. Up to a maximum of AED 10,000

Vehicles exempt from the toll charges will include:

• Ambulances
• Armed forces vehicles
• Civil defense vehicles
• Public buses
• School buses
• Police vehicles
• Ministry of interior vehicles
• Trailers
• Motorcycles
• Taxis registered in Abu Dhabi

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