ABU DHABI 2 January 2021: The Integrated Traffic Centre (ITC) of the Department of Municipalities and Transport in Abu Dhabi urged the owners of private and company vehicles registered who have yet to register, to create an account on the ‘DARB’ toll system, activate it, and register their vehicles by 2, January 2021, the date set for activating the system.
Vehicle owners can register through the DARB Toll system’s website or the smart application, DARB (App Store | Google Play | AppGallery), and top-up their wallet.
Around 200,000 accounts have been registered and activated by individuals and establishments. ITC revealed that the number of vehicles which were registered and activated has so far reached around 185,000 users, with around 15,000 registered as companies or institutions, said Wam.
ITC also noted that the vehicle registration fee is Dh100 per vehicle, of which Dh50 will be transferred to the user as a balance for their account.
Four Toll Gates
ITC confirmed that the four toll gates are on the bridges leading to Abu Dhabi city, namely:
- Sheikh Zayed Bridge
- Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Bridge
- Al Maqta Bridge and
- Mussafah Bridge
Charges
A fee of Dh4 will be charged each time a vehicle crosses any of the mentioned gates during peak hours from Saturday to Thursday (from 7 am to 9 am, and from 5 pm to 7 pm). The maximum daily tolls for individual vehicles are set at Dh16 per vehicle.
ITC also pointed out that the system will not collect toll fees outside of peak hours, on Fridays, and official holidays. Regular toll fees will be deducted automatically from the user’s prepaid account through an electronic wallet, indicating that the vehicle is identified by its number without the need to install a tag on the windshield.
Monthly Toll Limit for Personal Vehicles
ITC stated that the executive regulations issued by the Department of Municipalities and Transport, which specified that that maximum monthly toll cap for each individual vehicle should not exceed Dh200 for the first registered vehicle, Dh150 for the second registered vehicle, and Dh100 for each additional vehicle.
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.
8,000+ vehicles exempted
ITC announced that it had approved more than 8,000 requests for exemption from the exempted categories from DARB toll fees. The categories include senior citizens, retired citizens, low-income citizens, and People of Determination.
ITC stressed the need for members of these groups to register 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. 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 cancelled.
Penalties
- 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 Dh100.
- The second violation is the non-registration violation for vehicles crossing a gate for the second time, amounting to a fine of Dh200 after the end of the grace period. A fine amounting to Dh400 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 Dh50 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 fine of Dh10,000 will be applied in the event of a tampered license plate attempting to evade paying the toll fees.
- Another Dh10,000 violation will be applied in the case of any damage to the electronic payment devices or the toll gates.
The 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.
