Federal Government fixes tolling fees for its proposed new highway tolling stations, Works Minister Babatunde Fashola has announced.
Private cars plying federal highways will pay between N200 and N300 at each toll station.
Road vehicles covered by the policy include Cars(N200), SUVs(N300), Private Buses(N300), Commercial Buses(N150), and Luxury Buses and Trucks(N500)
The Cabinet approved the new Federal Roads and Bridges Tolling Policy and Regulations at its Executive Council meeting yesterday, 11 August.
Works Minister Fashola said the policy was developed in consultation with stakeholders such as transport unions and transportation experts.
Government fixes tolling fees its proposed highway stations
“Also, a Willingness-To-Pay Survey was carried out, to arrive at the recommended pricing framework.
“Fees at existing tolled roads (Lagos and Abuja Airports, Lekki and Ikoyi Plazas) were also taken into consideration,” he said.
The Minister however asked motorists not to fret because tolling will not start immediately even though the policy has been approved.
The exercise will have to wait “until the roads are motorable,” he said.
See article by Tolu Ogunlesi on details of the new policy
The policy empowers investors interested in going into a private-public partnership on road development with the information.
“This policy is a necessary condition for the implementation of Tolling, and it is now for people to start getting familiar with it.
“It is also for relevant stakeholders to start using it as a basis for their financial modeling and investment analysis, ahead of the eventual rollout of Toll Plazas,” the Minister said.
Mr. Fashola had announced early in the year that federal toll gates will return as government is to hand over 12 highways to private investors.
Among the 12 highways which he listed are the Onitsha-Owerri-Aba and Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressways in the South East region.
The deplorable and highly degraded Enugu-Onitsha Expressway was omitted from the list.
However, South African telecom giant, MTN, has announced that it has entered discussion with government to fix the omitted highway.
MTN is hoping to get tax credit for the cost of fixing the road, which leaves open the question of who will manage toll plazas on the highway.
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