Electronic “beeper” or etags are currently used on all major Australian toll roads, including Melbourne’s City Link and Queensland’s Logan and Gateway motorways.
In Sydney the road network includes the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Tunnel, Cross City Tunnel, Lane Cove tunnel, M1 Eastern Distributor, M2 Hills Motorway, M4 Western Motorway, and M5 South Western Motorway and the M7 ringroad
The tag is a small device attached to the front windscreen of the vehicle. As the vehicle passes one of the tolling points of the tunnel, the tag will transmit a signal to the tolling equipment. This will acknowledge and deduct the appropriate toll amount from your toll account.
There are several different beep tags you can sign up for around the country and Motorists can use any of them on all Australian toll roads.
The NSW RTA E-tag is probably the best e-tag to get as it has no fees at all (other than the cost of a toll) and no stupid fees for tag inactivity plus you get statements posted every quarter for free.
Another good option from Queensland Motorways is an E-toll tag that seems to be the good value for people living out of town and only doing occasional trips to cities. There is no joining fee, no inactivity fee, minimum initial payment $25 and then top ups when you get down to $15 to be made in multiples of $25.
Two alternatives im aware of are the “Beep Tag” system setup by Sydney’s Cross City Tunnel, and the E-way™ tag powered by the consortium that runs Sydney’s M5 & M4 motorways as well as the Eastern Distributor
{ 84 comments… read them below or add one }
Wish I had read this a couple of weeks ago – just got a ‘beep tag’
This list of current toll road costs was printed in the March/April 2006 NRMA Open Road magazine:
M1 Eastern Distributor – $4.50 northbound only, cash option
M2 Hills Motorway – $3.80 North Ryde (both ways) $2.20 Pennant Hills (both ways), cash option
M4 $2.20 – both ways, cash option
M5 $3.30 – both ways, cash option
M7 – $0.51 to 5.93 each way depending on distance travelled, no cash option
Cross City Tunnel – $3.56 each way or $1.68 (Sir John Young crescent from east) both ways. No cash option. Note: There is a temporary discount price of: $1.78/$0.84 from 06/03/2006 to try and increase tunnel usage
Harbour Bridge/Harbour tunnel – $3 southbound only, cash option
When will the various tag operators provide a useable solution for motorcycles? We are road users too!
EDITOR: According to motorcyclists posting at http://contribute.inthemix.com.au/forum/printthread.php?t=129465 :
PS The Eway Motorcycle Card can be used by motorcycles on the M4 and M5 in Sydney.
Hey Neerav, Dinesh here. Just happened to come across your blog when I was googling about E-tags (yours was actually the first link). Nice blog. Some useful information there. I thought all the tags were more or less the same, but it’s good to be mindful of the small differences.
Excerpt from theaustralian.news.com.au article “Tunnel toll to double, but rate still cheapest”
On Melbourne’s Citylink toll roads motorbikes are FREE!!! Everyone else has to have an etag or phone up before/after their trip to pay the tolls
EDITOR: that is the case at the moment, however according to a Citylink press release:
The problem with video tolling motorcycles is the following:
Some states issue the same licence plates to both cars and motorcycles;
Motorcycles in general have only rear license plates (most roads only have front image viewing);
Currently Citylink dont charge customers because riders complain the tags are dangerous in an accident (shards can break and injure the rider)and they cant differentiate when image viewing even with Rear Camera’s beacuse the picture is of the licence plate area and not the entire vehicle.
In short if you are a NSW licensed motorcycle – go and get a license registration in another state and they cannot charge you
EDITOR: Interesting advice Nathan!
some great info – thanks for that
- Sydney Morning Herald “RTA’s online eyes on the city”
Interesting that the RTA is setting up web cams for the public. Most other Road Toll operators have this already (because of traffic management and incident response) but do not show to the public because legal advice has provided it would break current privacy laws.
Still its a nice gimmick.
If you order your RTA E-Toll tag between 3 September and 28 October, you’ll receive a $30 bonus. That’s 10 free trips through the Harbour Tunnel or over the Harbour Bridge.
* The $30 toll bonus is only available to new customers who open an RTA E-Toll account between Sunday 3 September and Saturday 28 October 2006.
* Only the first account opened per customer is eligible for the bonus.
* You can receive a $30 bonus for each tag in your account up to a maximum of 3 tags.
* Unused bonuses will not be refunded
You can order your RTA tag at “myE-Toll”
unsure who to contact regarding my etag as i have had a fine even though the tag sounded as normal. I’ve since used the tag again and it sounded like it worked i have already authorised deductions from account when purchased so cant understand why im getting fines. Any information on how to rectify this problem would be appreciated thank you
Helen
EDITOR: You haven’t mentioned who your etag comapny is (RTA, e-way, Beep Tag, Express Tag etc). Call them for support.
where and how can i get this beeper tag? thanks
EDITOR: “beeper tag” is a generic term describing the toll road tags issued by various companies eg: NSW RTA, Interlink Roads, Cross City Motorway and Tollaust. What you should do is ask each company for a list of it’s fees and charges and choose the one that best fits your needs
Still confused, but thanks I didn’t know that you could get one from the RTA
EDITOR: No need to be confused, all the tags do the same job and work on all tolled motorways, it’s just that they have different administration charges
How much will it cost from Old Windsor Road interchange to Potts Point using the M7, M2 and harbour tunnel using an E-tag?
EDITOR: The only way to find out is to try it and see what charges appear on your etag statement for that day
To help explain tags that beep currently tags will basically beep once when your account is ok and more depending if your account is low or of interest (lost, stolen, low battery or problem etc.)
Basically for the tag to beep more than once an action list needs to be loaded at the roadside with your tag details to identify to you these issues. This is done usually every six hours or so. Some of the toll roads dont have capacity to load action lists from other tag suppliers so if you are travelling on the road the tag was issued you are prbably getting a correct beep reading, otherwise you might get incorrect beep advice – usually that your ok (one beep) because the action list from say the M7 is not loaded on the M4 as an example. So you might actually get a toll notice but the beep worked.
EDITOR: thanks for that info Nathan.
Now that Transurban has purchased the Sydney Roads group it will control most of the toll roads that ring Sydney as well as toll road between the airport and the Sydney CBD. Hopefully this means that the tag systems will be better integrated across the different Sydney toll roads
my wife and I are travelling around melbourne next month. Where can we purchase a etag for their roads? Can we only we buy etag for the time we are there? Thank you for your help and have a great new year. Kevin Burke.
EDITOR: What you need to do is call CityLink (the melbourne toll road company) on 13 26 29 and buy a pass for one-day or the number of days you’ll be using their tollroad in Melbourne
Has anyone noticed that using cash, the M5 is $3.80, but using a “Roam” e-TAG you also pay 10% GST on top?
hi,
i like to buy e-tags for i need to cross city tunnel & harbour bridge tunnel when i need to go to work, what type of e-tags should i pay? thanks
regards
simon
EDITOR: I’d suggest the RTA e-Toll etag
Are there any tags currently out there that do not charge in advance? (ie. top up your account automatically when it drops below a certain level)
I have a problem with this practice because the authorities who run these tags are making an absolute mint in interest from unsuspecting tag users accounts.
Take this example: 1 million tag users each with $50 sitting on their accounts will net the tag authorities $3,000,000 a year in interest! (assuming 6% interest) As you can see, Sydneysiders are being ripped off! In NY where I’m originally from, they have a similar tag system where users are only only charged AFTER they use the tag. That’s the way it should be.
EDITOR: Thomas, you’re not the only one who’s spotted this scam. Unfortunately all the Etag’s here require an initial deposit and then regular topups.
In my opinion the The best one is the RTA e-toll tag because unlike the E-way tag it doesn’t charge inactivity fees.
In regards to the tag deposit (scam?) comment there are few business issues you do not consider.
Firstly consumer (household) accounts are allowed to go into overdraft upto a certain limit before an automatic top up occurs or a suspension of account occurs (after that violation happens on every instance of travel), therefore the tag issuers are effectively funding individuals that go into overdraft. This is a significant cost due to the volume of accounts that are in negative balance and offsets the rough calculation you supplied. As a consumer (household account) you do not have an independent credit check only commercial accounts do.
If everyone went post paid tags (commercial) then credit checks are necessary and many consumers wouldn’t receive tags because of poor credit. Through this method all consumers can get tags.
The $50 is seen as a rough guide to ensure consumers that travel frequently are not put into violation even though they are in overdraft. For instance if you travelled for a week and on average spent $20 a day and you had $50 at the start then Monday $30, Tuesday $10, Wednesday $-10, Thursday $-30 (automatic top up). If you worked out your interest calculation based on that for all customers you wouldn’t come close the interest calculation you supplied.
This ensures that consumers are not put through the violation process on their next day of travel because of delays in processing. So the situation of all accounts sitting with $50 is very rare in fact only small use customers would have this occur and there are many post paid products available which suit better than tags for these customers.
Sorry for spelling before but I checked you New York system and found:
2. Tag Use
a) Tag Deposit. Cash or check customers must pay a deposit of $10 for each Tag. The deposit will be refunded when you close your Account and return the Tag in good condition as determined solely by E-ZPass. The Tag deposit is waived for customers authorizing Account replenishment via automatic charge to a credit card.
b) You may use the Tag on the vehicle(s) specifically listed on your Application.
c) In accordance with section 5 herein, you must surrender a Tag immediately upon request.
d) When you use the Tag at any E-ZPass facility, you authorize E-ZPass to debit your Account for charges incurred.
e) If you use the Tag on E-ZPass facilities other than New York E-ZPass facilities, you are subject to the laws and regulations governing such use.
f) You must maintain a sufficient balance in your Account, and may not permit Tag use unless a sufficient balance is maintained.
3. Your Account
a) You must maintain a prepaid amount in your Account to cover applicable charges to your Account. Applicable charges, if any, will be deducted from your Account each time the Tag is used. E-ZPass will also deduct from your Account applicable administrative fees incurred pursuant to this Agreement.
b) Your Account may be suspended based upon outstanding violations and/or for failure to pay administrative fees.
c) No interest will be paid on balances in your Account or on refundable Tag deposits.
Doesnt seem any different to Australia here – you need a prepaid balance, tag deposit is waived although if you go automatic top up, in fact if you go into overdraft unlike Australia you go into violation. The system used in australia in fact mimics overseas electronic toll road operations but in general more options here with products.
I was in the throes of building a comparison between Tollway, CityLink and Roam e-tag – and then I goggled this site.
Has anyone done a full comparison of suppliers for occasional use?
What I’m looking for is an e-tag that can be used in both Sydney and Melbourne maybe 8 to 10 times a year in each city and spread around the possible toll routes.
EDITOR: whichever one has the lowest fixed charges and no inactivity fees. As far as I know only the RTA etag does that
Sydney’s Lane Cove tunnel has opened late today and will complete the 110-kilometre Sydney orbital network.
The new Falcon Street Gateway connects Military Road and Falcon Street to the Gore Hill Freeway, avoiding 19 sets of traffic lights along the Pacific Highway.
Tunnel charges will be $2.55 for cars and $5.09 for heavy vehicles. Tolls on the Falcon Street Gateway will be $1.27 for cars and $2.55 for heavy vehicles. There are no toll booths as tolling is electronic using e-tags
The first month will be toll free to encourage people to get used to the tunnel and how to enter/exit it
Hi I was wondering what tag would be the best to purchase as we live in Canberra and travel to Sydney occasionally to the Northern Beaches and sometime Western Suburbs. We also have 1 permanent car and we often have a 2nd car but it is not always the same car. Can these tags be changed between cars if we only purchase 1 tag. the 2 cars would not be travelling to Sydney at any 1 time. What would the cost be and how do I purchase this.
It appears that my recently aquired RTA ETAG will get me past BRISBANE via thier toll ways. It this correct?. I really enjoyed reading the inputs for this site. I have added it to my fav sites. Thanks girls & guys.
Regards Douglas
EDITOR: Hi Douglas.
You can use your RTA E-Toll Tag on all toll roads in Australia – the Sydney Harbour Tunnel and Bridge, Cross City Tunnel, Eastern Distributor, the M5, M7, M4 and the M2. You can also use it on the motorways in Brisbane and Melbourne.
I have noticed some of you were trying to compare products for interstate (i.e Victorian and NSW travel). The only cost to you if you buy a Sydney tag and travel in Melbourne is the cost of the travel for the length of road. Interoperability fees are earned by each toll road for instance TollWay tag travels on CityLink in Melbourne and the cots of travel is $5.40 then Citylink get a $5.40 less a fee to Tollway say $40c. All you pay is the normal cost. So the cheapest tag is still going to be the one that offers you the best deal for your home use (i.e based in Sydney).
As an alternative for travel in Melbourne (where I live) I know CityLink have an Access Account for limited travel (say around 12 times per annum). This adds a video tolling fee ($1.20 I think to your charge (i.e $5.40) and dosent require a tag just a phone call to regaister your car registration number. Saves money by not pying out for a tag.
EDITOR: thanks for the advice Nathan. I’ve never driven outside of Sydney so I wasn’t aware of that
Why is one forced to have ‘relationship’ and open ‘accounts’ in order to simply pay a toll?
I consider this practice to be on the nose or a scam,as well as an abuse of privacy, as well as useless for interstate or foreign visitors.
One asked can I pay the toll with credit card, and the answer was NO. Obviously, very, very wrong.
Interesting article. It seems the state government has found another way to rip off the people by demanding deposits for e tags and earning heaps through interest. I think it likely that this tends to be the case whichever party is in government – Labor or Liberal and so people do not have a real voting choice and continue to be ripped off. My motot cycle does not have a windshield and they are no longer available for purchase. My only current solution then is try to find a second hand windshield at a bike wreckers, mount it and waterproff an e tag – all before 8 July 2007 after which there will be no cash toll booths. All registerred motor vehicle users should be able to use any thoroughfare subject to payment of a toll where required and I consider that a government which creates difficulties for people by introducing a e toll tag only use for the harbour tunnel without first solving problems for use of the tag for all motorists is unfair to the people of this country.
Peter to anwser your question you dont have to have a relationship. You can travel and get video tolled without first registering for an account or for day pass travel. The road operator gets your Vehicle Registration number and address details from the road authrority in your state and you are sent an invoice for the toll.
All roads have privacy codes which they must obey and are audited regularly on. I think from your comment you really dont like the idea of private toll roads. The fact is you dont have to use it. The original roads are still there that were once used to get you from the same point a to point b and they are free. For instance you can still go the length of the M7 using the original road with 32 traffic lights instead of using the toll road.
I agree not being able to pay by credit card is unacceptable. Most have numerous channels to pay. Infact most have more than any other companies operating in Australia. Some have 17 different ways to pay. As far as I know all toll road operator accept credit cards as long as you are not at cash collection booth on the road. Which toll road operator wont let you pay by credit card?
Hi i know that this might have been answered already but can some one please supply details of all tags payment options.
Depends on the Road -
Transurban owned roads have:
Phone credit card (one off payment);
Credit Card – Auto top up (register with Toll company);
SMS top up,
BPAY,
Shell Auto Touch,
Customer Service Centre,
Australia Post,
Commercial (by arrangement) – Monthly invoice in arrears,
Late Toll Notice – Fee plus Toll (no prior registartion),
Daypass on credit card (upto three days after travel);
Website payment;
Bill Express;
Newsagencies;
Tattersalls agencies;
Touch kiosks.
Hi, thanks for the heads-up. Your heading of ‘comparison of e-tags’ was the most useful thing that caught my eye. Thanks for the info.
jiji
is there anything we can do to changeover from ‘beep’? my dad’s got a beeptag. wish i’d read your blog earlier!
EDITOR: Well I guess all you have to do is call Beep and ask to shut your account with them. Make sure there’s no contract or penalty clause first.
Hi, very interesting page- thanks for the info.
The NSW RTA link at the top of the page is dead. If you’re after a tag from the RTA, go to https://ols2.rta.nsw.gov.au/myEToll/default.do?Action=readApplyTerms
There’s also some very useful FAQs on toll road and tags generally at http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/usingroads/motorwaysandtolling/tollroad_faqs.html
EDITOR: thanks for the heads up. I fixed the link.
As a recent visitor to Sydney from Perth I found the toll system very hard to deal with. Despite only having a few days to spend there I was really keen to visit because I so much enjoyed a brief time there some years ago. That time I was alone and happily used public transport. Ever since, every time I’ve mentioned it to anyone else, it’s been with great enthusiasm. Also Sydney itself is iconic in Australia and I wanted my children to have a taste of it so back we went.
This time, with partner and children and a side trip planned, we hired a car. Although we weren’t aware of this at the time, within a couple of hours of collecting the car and before we had finished making sense of all the pamphlets we were given, we had already incurred an admin fee for a toll route with no booth, that we inadvertently took. By the next morning, we’d made a bit more sense of it and went to an RTA E-Toll centre to ask to get something we could use to make sure that wherever we drove we wouldn’t have that happen. I thought I would walk in and give someone some money or my credit card details. It took me an hour and a half, with the rest of the family waiting, while I asked someone and was pretty much told I couldn’t be helped; was told by someone outside that I should try again, went back; was told that the girl at the counter didn’t know how to give me what I wanted and called someone else, who couldn’t come straight away, but did come after a while bringing someone else with her because it was new to her to, then they found out that I didn’t need the new way, and left and I filled out a form, paid something like $80, mostly refundable, and got an e-tag. I used this for 2 days before I left Sydney, after spending more time at the airport filling in another form and posting it back to the RTA as I’d been told. Later they refunded us most of the money, but forgot to cancel us off the mailing list until a month, and three letters later, when I rang them. Now, over a month later we have a bill for $11:60 for a $1:60 tollway we used. My partner is telling me we should only pay the $1:60 plus postage. I hope there are no more of letters like this about to come.
I just read on another site that there is a tollway which can only be paid by e-tag type methods, on the way from the airport!! I think it was the one we were pinged on, though we hadn’t come from there ourselves.
Now when I talk to other people about Sydney I will warn them that they should make an in depth study of the toll system before they leave home.
I don’t know if our underlying problem was specific to our hire company (Budget), or how other tourists cope. Maybe it was harder for us because Perth has no tolls. I have never paid one anywhere before.
I get that Sydney has maybe needs tolls and a system whereby the people using their transport infrastructure help pay for it, tourists included. I was always happy to pay for what I used – but the way a tourist helps pay for it should be easier than this. I really think this is a crazy way to treat tourists!!
EDITOR: You’re right Kerry, it’s definitely not the way to gain a good reputation with people visiting Sydney
Which is the smallest tag? I have a car with metallicised windscreen and the place where the tag must go is quite prominent. I’ve seen the E-Way tag (huge thing, hangs below a hook), and the other common one I see around is a clamshell type of shape – the RTA tag perhaps? But I also see a few cars with something that looks like a very small square tag. Is there a tag that’s significantly smaller, or am I just seeing a bracket without a tag on it?
EDITOR: Hi Andrew, I’m guessing that what you’ve seen is an empty white tag bracket. All the tags I’ve seen are reasonably similar in size
Hey All, what a mess and a rip-off these tolling systems are! I wont even start on the PPP’s (Public Private Partnerships) and the fact that we pay taxes for our road systems and then are funnelled onto these tollways… suppose I did start
Anyhow, I have a quick question for the people in-the-know here. I opened up a Roam e-Pass Account, not long after the M7 was opened and had a similar experience to our Perth visitor, except it was in a Melbourne Post Office (Note: I’m a Sydney-Sider).
I’m now finding that many of our toll roads are becoming cashless, hence I’m having to research my options for converting to an e-Tag Account. I’m finding that my options are limited due to the fact that I don’t want to use Credit Card nor Direct Debit options… the less info these &*%$ have on me, the better.
I attempted to create a ‘manual payment’ account via the Roam website, filling in a couple of pages of my particulars, only to get to the last page and find that the ‘initial deposit’ has to made via a Credit Card! Well that defeated my purpose, so I canned the application. Called them directly, only to find out that I once again have to visit a Post Office to create a new e-Tag account, then call Roam back to have my e-Pass balance migrated to the new e-Tag account – Oi Vey!
So, I did some hunting around to find other suppliers, only to find that most of them (including the RTA and e-Way) only offer Credit Card or Direct Debit accounts… what rubbish is this? Funnelling us onto their roads and not supplying us with more than two intrusive forms of payment methods.
Then I came across Roam Express, who seem to offer what I’m seeking in a manual payment option. They even have a seemingly simple downloadable application form ( http://expresstag.com.au/files/ExpressTagApp.PDF )that just has to be faxed, mailed or dropped into one of their M2 booths. Thinking, ok I have a Roam e-Pass, surely Roam Express are linked and I will be able to have my account balance migrated across to the other. But no!!!
Here’s the kicker. Both these businesses, Roam (aka – Roam Tolling Pty. Ltd.) and Roam Express (aka – Tollaust Pty Ltd.) are 100% owned by the company Transurban Group. Yet they treat themselves as seperate entities, and as such, I wont be able to get my account balance migrated from one to the other… WTF!!!
Geez! I did have ‘a quick question’ for you, before I rambled. Oh yeh, I suppose the question is:
Q. Apart from Roam & Roam Express, are you aware of any other tag issuers that provide manual payment options that DO NOT REQUIRE Credit Card or Direct Debit involvement?
Looking forward to your response/s
– TZ!
Smallest tag: c-class tag Transurban entities only offer currently to commercial customers but available soon to household customers.
TZ each road has Asset (maintenance, cleaning etc) and Retail (manage customers) component.
M7 Asset owned by Westlink of which Transurban own 47.5% They contract out the retail contract to ROAM which is 100% owned by Transurban.
M2 Asset owned 100% by Transurban and TollAust who operate the retail contract owned 100% by Transurban.
I don’t get what you mean by transferring your account. Firstly you could not do this as if it was allowed Transurban could manipulate all customer and tags into the lowest costs entity effectively reducing payments (concession fees) to the State.
Secondly as I pointed out above Transurban don’t own 100% the customers in the two entities (they are owned by the asset) you mentioned so why would they on a commercial basis alone transfer a customer they 100% own to an entity they own only 47.5% of. Most importantly why would you want to migrate your account (presuming you want to close one and transfer the credits over to the new account). Just close your account get a credit back and open one in m7 if that’s what you want. You don’t need to own more than one tag as they work on all roads.
Citylink have a customer centre which offers manual payments without direct debit or credit card. No other roads sell tags at their customer centres I believe but may be wrong there (maybe rta do). Thats a long way to travel to pay presuming you live in Sydney. There are a heap of payment options usually but they all need generally these two payment methods. i.e web payments, newsagents, post offices.
You will have to explain to me why you consider this intrusive. In the end cash booth tolling decrease traffic flow, decrease revenue and increases costs.
Metallic windscreen dissipates radio waves hence why your microwave will have on the inside front screen a metallic mesh. This make reading the tags slightly more difficult. i.e 3 in 10,000 error rate compared to 1 in 10,000 error rate (example of the top of my head) but if it doesnt work the gantry will video capture your Vehicle licence plate and register a known tag but failure to communicate. We then filter against the customer tag listing and you are charged as normal.
Issue around people finding the road network hard if they are visitors.
Casual User Pass (”CUP”) for the Sydney network has not yet have a solution although it it being worked on.
Agreement between each road and then approval from the RTA would be needed. This would take the from of agreement of video tolling (as no tag involved) information or a set rate slice up of the fee earned from the cutomer when travelling.
There are a number of complications other the those already stated including making all roads electronic tolling, having video imaging at all roads, agreeing on commercial rate, agreement of data file transferring and settlement, ensuring same business rules apply i.e three days to make payment after travel. Significant investment in some of the roads to be able to do this. For instance ex macquarie roads run on generally the smell of an old oil rag and couldnt download the trip data needed to be have this capability. M2 is close to be fully electronic and thats taken at least a few years.
Totally agree this needs a solution though especially when so many different roads apply and you dont wont to have to get a tag for short term travel.
EDITOR: Hi Nathan
I just wanted to say thanks for replying to people’s questions about Toll roads and e-tags several times.
It’s obvious you have a deep understanding of the industry
FYI I’m on the lookout for guest article writers who are experts in their field.
As a guest writer you get to embed a graphic roughly 300px square with link in the article promoting your website or organisation of your choice.
If you’re interested send me an email.
thanks
Neerav
We have something like this in America…EZ pass..at first they were giving people for tickets if they got from one to another TOO fast…but now they don’t do that I think.
Thanx for your response Nath, muchly appreciate it
In regards to – “I don’t get what you mean by transferring your account”. I was under the impression (from both their websites) that Raom & Roam Express were 100% owned by Transurban. Now that you have pointed out the difference, I can see my mistake. Thinking that both were owned wholly by the same mob (must say, I wasn’t far wrong), I could ’simply’ open a Roam Express account and have my Roam e-Pass funds transferred across! Remembering the only reason I want to change suppliers is because the latter seems to offer a MANUAL payment method that I was seeking.
C’mon, they both share the same name prefix – ROAM! They both have Transurban as owner/part owner. Actually, when you view their webpage “About Us” you get the following statements:
@ roam.com.au – “Roam Tolling Pty Ltd is a Transurban Group company”
@ roamexpress.com.au – “Roam Express is 100% owned by Transurban”
Well… you can see why I came to my earlier conclusion.
In regards to – “You will have to explain to me why you consider this intrusive”. I personally, find it intrusive to be asked to provide either Credit Card or Direct Debit bank account details in order to open an account with them when there are perfectly good alternate options to make payents via. Payments that DO NOT REQUIRE these intusive options of holding your Credit Card or Bank details on file. Roam say that they offer manual payment options but, as stated in my previous post, a Credit Card is initially required to open an account with them, either online or over the phone… then you can make manual payments!! What type of convoluted customer service is this?
With identity theft on the rise and the headaches that such a theft causes, the less access these and other companies have to this sort of personal info, the better! Besides, where is our freedom of choice here… “yes you can make manual payments – but only after you give us your credit card details”. Bahh-hum-bug!
– TZ!
We have something like this in America…EZ pass..at first they were giving people for tickets if they got from one to another TOO fast…but now they don’t do that I think.
Just found that Qld Motorways has an E-toll tag that seems to be the best value for people living out of town and only doing occasional trips to cities: http://www.etoll.com.au/etoll
There is no joining fee, minimum initial payment $25 and then top ups when you get down to $15 to be made in multiples of $25. They have a simple on-line application system. And of course you can use it in any toll way around the country.
So beats all the others hands down for value and simplicity.
If I go out of state and hire a car can I take my RTA e-tag with me? Or does it have to be with the registered car?
Has anyone heard anything about the new legislation that etags will be used to monitor speeding on NSW motorways?
Apparently there will be start and finish locations on the motorways that will take a photo of your vehicle, your etag will also be recorded as it passes, then when you pass the so called finish location your vehicle will be photgraphed again and you etag recorded again. The time taken to travel between the two points will be calculated and if you have travelled the distance in less time that the calculated speed limit you will automatically be issued with a speeding fine?
Refer clause 8e of the terms and conditions https://ols2.rta.nsw.gov.au/myEToll/default.do?Action=readApplyTerms
The only way to object would be to prove your etag is faulty.
I use the RTA eTag, mostly for work and rely on statements on order to claim back the toll costs. I’ve requested these as monthly statements and could also use the online tools to pre-empt what will arrive in the statement in order to claim from work a bit earlier….
The problem is
- The scans take up to 2 weeks to be seen online (they quote a few days, but I often wait more than a week!)
- The ability to view scans online is removed at the start of each month while invoicing occurs – in other words, you cannot see ANY scans until the invoice is generated
- The invoice does not arrive for at least 2 weeks after the new month.
- Given the above points, there is a period of upto 4 weeks when I’ve got no visibiltiy whatsoever of a scan (ie it takes 2 weeks to turn up online, but at that time online is taken down for 2 weeks while the invoice is made. It’s very hard to request expenses for a period this far back!
Has anyone else encountered these issues with claiming tolls at their work? Are any of the other toll tag providers any more reliable?
Can anyone supply a commercial account to register bulk vehicles in all states with one account??? having to hold different accounts in each state is time consuming as well as added expense.
Re: the Comment by nic – May 21, 2008
Yes you can have one commerical account with one billing address over multiple depot locations with CityLink. This is how they handle such clients as TOLL / Linfox etc. So they have CityLink tags even though they travel in say QLD. You can get multiple billing addresses if you want as well. Being a commerical customer has very good flexibility.
Wish I had read this first.
Just arrived to NSW from abroad, I put etag into google, found roam.com.au and ordered my etag through them. I didnt know that there are more etags to choose from in this country, bugger!
Do you think I can cancel it before they send me the etag? I paid $40 for deposit plus $50 for the first top up.
We purchased a car with an old etag bracket on the windscreen. It needs to be removed so that we can attach a new one. How do I remove it? I have tried a wet cloth and various products like citrus oil and it hasn’t budged.
I dont understand why hire cars in sydney arent fitted (all, or optionally) with e-tags (of whatever brand), and then the fees charged back to the hirer? (ok, a bit more paperwork on the part of the hiring company, but it would be worth it).
We have an international branch, and one particular rep travels in australia about 2 out of every 4 weeks, hiring a car each time. After a few trips where his options were to pay exorbitant “no tag” fees, or to pre-register his unplanned travels on each of the separately operated toll roads, we then tried getting him an RTA e-tag, but were required to enter a licence plate number in order to do so, and it had to be a numberplate that wasnt currently “attached” to another tag. Being the only person in the company without an e-tag, we used mine – which i’ve now been able to go online to remove from the etag so i can get my own now that nearly every damn road is cashless, and they’re even bringing the bridge down to 2 cash lanes this weekend. not like travelling on the harbour bridge isnt confusing enough.
I dont mind paying a toll if i use the road, but i do object to having to pay $80 to use the bridge or tunnel less than once a month. (and mostly where i travel to the tunnel is by far the most appropriate method). grrr.
As a potential tourist I am confused. We have been in Sydney many times in the past (we are from NZ) but now we are worried that driving from Sydney to Melbourne will cost us exorbitant money simply because we don’t understand the system. The car hire company are happy to rent us a chip thingy for $25.00 per day and I assume we pay tolls on top of this! This may be good for the Australian economy but plays havoc with our holiday budget. We need a simple option to travel through Sydney to Melbourne and return without having concerns about extra unexpected cost. Surely tourists were considered when this system was introduced. We don’t mind paying tolls for the use of the roads, but we, like all tourists, just need to know the best and easily understood option.
John B
Regardless of the payment scams, to expect visitors to Sydney (or even Sydneysiders) to purchase a different pass or a tag based on who owns which road is an absolute joke! I don’t have a clue which toll I used. So we come to the administration scam. After a recent visit to Sydney I was concentrating on where I was going and was a bit tardy with my pencil and paper when it came to noting down which road/number etc. I now have wait for the notice to reach me in the mail with the attached admin fee. Vistors to Sydney each year multiplied by toll payment confusion equals admin fee which equals total F*%king rip off. Shame Sydney, shame.
Olly
We have been in Sydney many times in the past (we are from NZ) but now we are worried that driving from Sydney to Melbourne will cost us exorbitant money simply because we don’t understand the system. The car hire company are happy to rent us a chip thingy for $25.00 per day and I assume we pay tolls on top of this!
Roam totally sux – I have been on hold for their customer service department for 20 minutes. Why are all companies who run their customer service via phone so suck?
Bdw Im still on hold, and still frustrated and annoyed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am a tourist and will travel around Australia, sometimes on motorcycle and sometimes by car. Can you advice me to call ‘a’ number so that I can just pay up through my credit card?
Please reply through my email too. Thanx.
Buyers beware – the NSW RTAetag does have charges other than the various tolls – you must pay a non refundable security deposit. I’m sure I heard in the last couple of weeks that there was a tag coming for which there will be no scam-artist “security deposit” and no minimum balance required – has anyone else heard of this and if so where do we get one?
Cheers
In trying to fill out the rebate forms for the M4&M5, I am having trouble figuring out the pre GST amount for the M5. Help please, and is there a site which lists the pre GST charges? Why is this information not available on every e-tag and tollway site, including the RTA?
GAB
Although the owner of this blog recommends the RTA as the best option, beware that they have an exorbitant security deposit (which you can never get back until you move out of Australia or die since it is impossible to cross the Harbour Bridge without a tag) or a monthly administration fee. (You get to choose). In addition, their terms and conditions contain clauses like this:
>> We may charge you an administration fee each time the balance of your E-Toll Account falls to or below $0.00.
So, just using up your balance (your money!) will cause them to charge you a fee which puts you into debt. Ah, yeah…
Finally, no where on their web site do they list their fees and charges, and their telephone staff don’t know what they are either (I phoned them), such as the fee in the clause above.
From what I’ve seen so far, the Qld Motorways etoll.com.au is much more upfront about their fees, has a nice easy to use site and lower fees.
I live in Sydney and do occasional interstate travel. If I sign up with the Queensland etoll.com.au, would I be able to claim M4/M5 cashback?
Hey Theo,
I was just reading through all of these comments and yours reminded me of the cashback scheme (which I had forgotten all about). The RTA website for the cashback scheme – http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/usingroads/motorwaysandtolling/m4m5_cashbackscheme.html – states that it is only the RTA pass, or one of the following 3 providers that participate in the cashback scheme – Express Tag (aka Roam Express), E-Way Tag and Roam E-TAG.
So it doesn’t seem that you get it with the Queensland etoll.com.au
How much do you get through the cashback sceme anyways?
I have real civil liberty concerns in regards to the Harbour Bridge.
Nathan, whom appears to me to be an agent of the tollway system, has stated (26/05/2007) that if we are concerned about giving access to our account details we can exercise our rights and not use the system by using another road. This does not apply to the bridge/tunnel system for the vast majority of people unless they make a huge arc around the harbour – they know this is impractical for many people. In effect, this places a person in the effective situation of having to surrendering to their payment system demands without a real” option being allowed to retain privacy. At least having a single pay booth would overcome this.
I am interested to know whether this could be argued as a violation of rights to privacy within civil rights in law.
In brief discussions with “legals” in my family and the State Ombudsman it seems a case could be mounted as the bridge/tunnel toll network is unlike the other tollway systems as it effectivly exercises a monopoly in access.
A final point.
I can see why tollway systems charge tolls for systems they have built at great cost but the bridge was built and payed for by use over 60+ years, they did not build it. Any claim they need the vast sums collected for labour/material maintenance is inflated rubbish.
Since the largest labour bill on the bridge was for 24 hour collection and they have now been fired saving the company money – should not the toll be reduced, if not what is the justification given to government.
I live in melbourne & want to get a etag for my HI ACE van, whats the best tag to get
Hi all,
I have just had a typo which tripped up my registering for a new tag with Breeze.com.au.
I tapped on something like ‘another vehicle’, using the tab button and it stubbornly insisted that I wanted to register more than one car from then on. So, I have stalled in my etag purchase now. This site is for Victoria’s Citylink tag, and seems to have no deposit for the tag. Just the prepayment for the tolls. Good-oh.
I may go back and try the site once more. But I am interested that the NSW RTA etag is still held up as the best by Neerav. This page comes up fast on my google search.
A reader in the Syd Morn Herald, the daily paper of the city in which I live, cited Breeze/Citylink as a good option. I wonder if anyone here knows?
@ Noel (Comment #62)
Hear, hear! I agree with your comments whole heartedly! Although I’m unable to offer any legal advice, I would be more than willing to join any petition that may fight a reversal of this most recent funnelling exercise.
As you can tell, I’m not much of a fan – refer to my earlier comments made over 12 months ago (Comment #37 & #41 in response to Nath’s response to mine #38).
Not only have we lost another liberty, we now have to consider the time of our trip across the Harbour Bridge with the introduction of “Time of day tolling”, as per the RTA Website:
——————————————————–
Time of day tolling will come into effect on the Sydney Harbour crossings on Tuesday, 27 January 2009.
The move aims to help ease traffic congestion on the busy corridor and to encourage motorists to travel outside peak hours where possible.
Time of day tolling charges will be as follows:
Weekdays
——–
Time of day Cost
From 6:30am – 9:30am $4
From 9:30am – 4pm $3
From 4pm – 7pm $4
From 7pm – 6:30am $2.50
Weekends and Public Holidays
—————————-
Time of day Cost
From 8am – 8pm $3
From 8pm – 8am $2.50
Motorists can consider one of three options during time of day tolling – adjusting the time of their trip, paying the appropriate toll or changing their route.
The introduction of time of day tolling will be the first time the toll has been increased on the Harbour Bridge since 2002 but only motorists travelling from 6.30am to 9.30am and from 4pm to 7pm on weekdays will face an increased toll.
Time of day tolling is expected to raise around $12 million a year which will be reinvested into buying and running 300 new buses.
——————————————————–
Just lovely!
– TZ!
Noel,
I obviously work for toll road operator and have tried to help some people out with their queries without my employers consent.
So I am an agent for toll road operator and I will tell you the RTA is a joke. No where else in the world would you have tolls on a paid up asset and be the government agency for toll road governance yet compete against other toll roads through tag distribution.
Good luck challenging on civil rights but I can point you in the right direction (Privacy!):
The national privacy principles apply to private companies hence not the RTA but you would have to check what requirements they have under the privacy act as I havent looked.
National Privacy Principles
8. Anonymity
Wherever it is lawful and practicable, individuals must have the option of not identifying themselves when entering transactions with an organisation.
CityLink has the option to have anonymious accounts you might want to check the RTA if they do. It is a requirement under the national privacy principles for private companies to have this requirement.
I have a tag comparison spreadsheet which was what this site was originally about which I did in my spare time, its a little old (early last year) so maybe someone could work on it. (Neerav do you want to contact me and I will pass it on to you and the readers) But it would show that depending on what your requirements are as a customer (i.e some customers want good invoicing so they claim cash back etc and cost and quality of information can vary) RTA is not the best tag. Detailed monthly statements for RTA are the most expensive, vehicle matching fee is $10 compared to about $1.00 for everyone else, i.e if your tag dosent work you get extra fee other operators have this around $1, highest additioanl tag holders fee, cant tag lease which is a cheap way of obtaining a tag. So my point is consider what you need rather than something that appears the cheapest.
Nath… just read your comment above…
I am in the process of trying to find an etag and I’ve already crossed the RTA tag off my list… the deposit is ridiculous!
would you be willing to share the list? I am a student (so I’m poor!!) and my travel may be the M4 a couple times a week if I’m running late and can’t manage to avoid the tolls. The QLD Motorway tag (etag.com.au) has appealed to me based on their australia-wide usage. It appears that even though I reside in NSW I can still register for and get this tag. I was also told by a rep on the phone today that there are no additional fees on top of the toll itself to use the tag outside of QLD… is that really the best option? I really just want a tag that minimizes fees… I didn’t even know about that $10 fee from the RTA if your balance drops below $0… even more reason to avoid them!
Great site by the way, thanks Neerav!
thanks!
Oops! I just read about the cashback scheme… how cool is that? A pain to sort out yes, but it takes the burn off a little bit.
Soooooo that eliminate the etoll.com.au option (i mistakenly called it etag.com.au in my previous post)
Then the question boils down to… Roam, Roam express and Eway, or the dreaded RTA…
any advise??
Hi,
I am from the UK and was driving in/around NSW over the New Year. The first time I went onto a motorway and passed the tolling signs I stopped at the nearest tourist info office. They got me a temporary payment account set up for the duration of my hire car using my credit card. Anyway, I crossed several zones and once home got a nice credit card statement with my charges. Forward on 6 weeks and I have now received a demand for $14.40 for a payment that I’d missed. I’ve emailed roam saying that I had an account up and running when they said I made this trip and as a consequence they’ve agreed to drop the $10 admin fee. I now owe $4.40, the price of a beer!! Anyway, they said that I can’t pay this over the internet as the toll still says that I owe $14.40, and they want me to email my credit card details…like I’m going to do that! I could send a UK cheque but then it wouldn’t be valid, I could send a postal order but that would be more than what I owe. I could also phone but then that would also cost me more money. I know that it’s only $4.40 but it’s the principle as it was their systems at fault. Does anyone know if I’d get any hassles from immigration the next time I visit Australia should I chose to just not pay? After all, its not as if they will set Interpol onto me or try to extradite me now is it?
Thanks
Keith
Just want to draw attention to one area of Toll Tag has not been addressed.
Could someone please clarify the Haven’t Paid Toll situation.
I understand that a driver must contact the Toll Road Operator within 24 hours to get a Tag.
However what happens on weekends. Calls are not answered. I got an E-toll online.
Will the RTA match the Rego or do we still need to contact the Toll Road Operator ( Cross City Tunnel)?
Hi,
Good article, very helpful. Now that the gateway bridge at Brisbane is becoming entirely e-tag I needed to find out which supplier was best for me. I only visit Brisbane once every couple of months for family so I didn’t want one that was going to be expensive to set-up or has expiring credit -> e-toll for QLD Motorways looks good.
Just wanted to let you in on something I found on the E-toll site’s FAQs (https://www.etoll.com.au/etoll/FAQs.aspx). It appears that you can choose not to auto-top up (and have $40 credit just sitting there) and top up manually. This just means that you would have to pay attention to the actual amount left on your account before you choose to travel – a much better option for a very infrequent traveller like me!
Visitors to Sydney – how to pay
Hi. I will be upfront and let you know I work for a tollway provider. Will let you figure out which one
. I’ve just looked at this for the first time and would like to provide information on several points. Will be long so I’ll post different answers… bear with me.
There are several electronic passes (NOT TAGS) that work on all Sydney toll roads. They are the best bet for a once off trip to Sydney. They work via video tolling – that is a photo of your number plate is taken as you go under the gantry and your number plate is matched up to your account (pass or tag) to charge the toll. As this takes an element of human processing you pay an extra 75c per trip. There is also a set up fee for a pass – generally around $1.50 over the net. You can set up a pass before you travel of up to 48 hours after your first trip on a toll road.
What happens if you don’t pay the toll
If you don’t organise to pay the toll up to 48 hours after the first trip on a toll road you get a toll notice. This is the toll plus a $10 administration fee. If you don’t pay the first toll notice you’ll get a second one and the administration fee will increase to $20 – and from there a fine.
You can also get a toll notice if you have an account but the tag didn’t work – perhaps it wasn’t installed properly. Then you provide your account details on the toll notice payment slip and the toll only is charged to your account (as long as it isn’t suspended and has money in it – see your provider for details). It doesn’t have to be this way!
All you have to do is give your provider the number plates of any vehicles you use and want to cover with your account. Then even if the tag doesn’t work the toll will be automatically charged to your account.
Different accounts
The advice has been very good – it’s best to look at all options and make a choice that suits you. This depends on whether you are ok with paying a refundable tag deposit, how much you want to pre-pay, how quickly you want to see your trips by logging into your tolling providers website, whether you claim for cashback (yes, must be NSW provider) etc.
The Roam (roam.com.au) and Roam Express (roamexpress.com.au) (yes, two different and separate companies) both:
• Let you see your trips and invoices by logging into their website
• Provide trip details to easily claim Cashback
• Don’t charge fees for account inactivity
• Offer fee free e-TAG account options
• Charge a refundable tag deposit
• Have different pre-paid top up options – choose the one that suits your spend
• Use the new small e-TAG that looks better in your car
See how much your trip will cost
The RTA has provided an excellent resource, Sydneymotorways.com. It provides information on every toll road and tolling provider in NSW and includes maps and trip calculator tools. A good one for visitors to Sydney to check out.
Help please,
We have visited several times before and this time will be visiting a few cities and hiring cars at different times.
We will not have a fixed address so any guidance on how to get a tag with a temporary account?
RCA sites etc. aren’t very helpful.
Thanks,
Colin
I recently did 2 trips through Sydney, I registered for camera identification both times prior and only got billed for one trip! With the new Brisbane tunnels opening next year it’s time to get a tag I guess. Thanks.
Hi fellow tag users!
Just found an e-tag bracket that uses a suction cap instead of permanent adhesive tape to mount your e-tag to your windscreen.
I take my tag down to Melbourne and use it in hire cars, and having the removable bracket avoids toll notices getting sent to the hire car company if my tag doesn’t go off. Plus you don’t have to spoil the look of your car by having a permanent bracket stuck to your windscreen.
Website is http://www.unibrac.com if anyone is interested
A big lump of blue tack is another method of fixing your tag
Hello
is it possible to pay a QLD or VIC toll road notice with my NSW RTA etag?
Ive tried but doesnt look like it. Its possible to pay NSW toll notice with a QLD tag tho.
thanks
We travel from SA to mostly Melbourne, but also Sydney and Brisbane. We recently had such a hectic time in Melbourne, and isp failure, so didn’t pay in time – would be great not to have to worry about it. I suppose it’s wishful thinking that there is one system which covers all toll roads?
I have access to a family RTA etag and want to use it in a Sydney hire car instead of having to pay the car hire company’s excessive fees for using theirs. Easy enough to remove their device and stick mine on with blue-tack. But theirs has to still be in the car, at least initially. How do I make sure I don’t get charged twice? Is it enough to put their zapper in the glove box or does it need to be wrapped in aluminum foil, or put in a tin box/lead coffin or what?
Tolls in Aussie are a rip.
What is our car rego. for – thought that was supposed to cover costs of roading?
In NZ the only toll road (when I was last there, a squillion years ago) was over the Auckland Harbour Bridge. When the bridge was paid for, the tolls were removed (free passage from thereonin). Can’t see that EVER happening here in Oz.
Since governments put the building of our roads in the hands of private companies and these companies have to make BIG profits road tolls will continue to rise. It has nothing to do with on going maintenance. It is just like electricity, I was told from someone in the know that the more companies that come on the market the more the profits have to be shared so the price go up. My family agrees that once a road is payed for then the only toll collected should be for maintenance. As for the Harbour Bridge the toll should not be used for buying buses.