olivia

As yet then is it just working like an extra tax on Portuguese car owners if they use the motorways? We presume the hire companies at Faro will work out a way to keep those of us who hire a car informed. There are thousands of hire cars there so some extra revenue here for the Portuguese economy. Non PT reg cars will be free of toll charge until they find a way forward to charge?

james.mc

Noticed yesterday that they were hacking slots into the central concrete reservation of the A22, just West of Junction 12 (Almancil/Quarteira junction). Initially, I just assumed it was repairs. It now occurs to me that they are probably preparing it for installation of the toll gantry's. Anyone else notice this?

EsuriJohn

See post #60

bigglesafloat

Yes I saw the road works on Monday so it looks like all is going ahead despite the 'protests'. Whatever one thinks we do know the Portuguese Govt needs the money badly - this kind of fiscal imposition hardly compares to UK or the Irish Republic ! Here you still have the choice - A22 or EN125 ?

Supremegermalene

When my husband drove his Defender down from Santander he went through a toll and didn't pay (he's never been on the motorways up north before) so he was worried about being fined. I contacted Via Verde by email, gave them our registration number, asked if we could pay and they wrote back saying the 'Departamento de Gestão de Cobranças' would be in contact. Never heard a word from them again!

I am confused about these transponders....they last 90 days or you can get ones that don't run out? €27 every 90 days is a lot for 2 cars here to be able to go to Faro if we happen to need to...

PubChampion

I had a parking fine demand sent to my UK address (by recorded delivery) one year getting a ticket on a hired Portuguese car. I was in Portugal at the time and paid the fine using Multibanco.

SMENI

try this link, it might explain things a bit better http://www.visitportugal.com/NR/exer...,frameless.htm

EsuriJohn

Thats a good link and if this paragraph applies in the South :-

"Temporary device (Dispositivo temporário - DT): the best solution for a short stay, and as a result for vehicles with a foreign license plate; the license plate is not linked to the device, therefore, anonymity is guaranteed.
Obtaining: it is necessary to establish a lease contract with the responsible entities, at the highway service areas or other locations like the post offices and the Via Verde Portugal-shops.
Costs: deposit of €27 (that will be given back to the driver when the device is returned in good condition at the location it was rented from) + preloading a minimum of €10 for light vehicles and €20 for heavy vehicles."

since the device is not linked to a REG No. if you live in Ayamonte and have a couple of cars which you might use for collections at Faro as and when this is the way to go and it appears to cost exactly the same whichever payment method you go for (except for Portuguese Nationals with permanent address in Portugal).

bigglesafloat

Sounds a good solution and I like the idea of being able to use box on alternative vehicles. I wonder what max rental time is and how do you know when the pre-charged amount is used up ?

billybob

They can´t, I drove up north recently in a hire car and had no idea what the new tolls were, I ignored them and nothing happened. I bought a car while I was up there and then had to drive thru the tolls again whilst the car was not registered in my name. I worked out I spent about €5 by looking at the signs and adding up what I was spending whilst driving. I rang the vendor and she paid the toll for me in a shop. She told me that many locals assumed they would receive something in the post but they didn´t until a fine arrived for non-payment. She also said tourists or Spaniards will not have to pay as it is not enforceable and Portuguese drivers now come off tolled roads until they pass the new tolls and then come back on, causing jams in small towns! It is a chaotic system at present.

Casa Santo Estevo

Interesting link SMENI.
But the information is not clear. For me it raises several questions that should be answered to be 100% clear about the tolls. I know you cannot answer them.
The VisitPortugal website states:
Going onto say
So is there a need for one or not? If the device is not linked to a specific car so that how can “they” tell if you have one in the car or not? You may have purchased a prepaid credit. That will not register on the overhead readers.

VisitPortugal to it does not say how much it is to hire a Dispositivo temporário – DT. The Estradas de Portugal website simply states that the hire cost is time related. So is it hired at no cost or a time related cost?
I have seen a minimum of 50€ (in my local newspaper).

How it works for non-Portuguese registered cars.
The driver has to pay 27€ to rent the DT. They then have to pay a minimum of 50€ to cover toll charges.
It should be noted that the 50€ for toll fees will only last for a maximum of 90 days, if not you loose any money left on the toll card.
When you return the card and you have any money left you will find extra fees of 4.30 € for the first week and 1.37 euros for every additional week after that. It is not clear if this is deducted automatically every week or when you return your card.

It is complicated so let me give you an example:
You are in Portugal for say 10 days; and you drive (for example) 150km on the Via Verde routes.

Euros Total cost in Euros
Hire of the DT: 27.00
Toll card 50.00
Tolls for say 150 km* -13.50 13.50
First weeks fee - 4.30 4.30
Second week fee** - 1.37 1.37
Subtotal (amount returned) 30.83
Total cost of using Via Verdes for 150km 46.17

* I cannot confirm this 100% but it seems like tolls work out round about 9cents/km.
* *Even for part of a week you will have to pay for a full week.
So it works out quite expensive.


Paying at the CTT websites also means that you have to pay commission on the toll. But that does not show up until you get to the final (payment) page.
Again my local newspaper says this almost doubles the actual total to be paid.
The CTT website that is linked from the Visit Portugal website lists the PO. And that is easy to use. But I cannot find one PO that has these DT for hire. Are they available at all PO?


I have to agree that the information in the VisitPortugal website is more than I have seen so far it still not 100% clear as to what you exactly have to pay.

RichardHenshall

I'm no expert but surely if the vehicle has a device that can be read it will be read and the appropriate charge made. If no device is read the registration number is scanned and the charge logged against it. Their system then looks for either a pre-payment (which is now considered spent) or post-payment within the permitted time limit and if neither is found a fine is issued.

Does that not cover every eventuality? Whether they can trace the driver/owner of a foreign vehicle to collect the fine is perhaps a moot point.

Joao

I suspect that the last thing on the average tourist's mind, who has come to Portugal to have a good time and relax, is trying to work out how he/she is going to pay for using a toll road whether it is a hired car or his/her own car. As I and another user mentioned before, number plate recognition is not transparent throughout Europe, so unless they (the Police) are at the boarder crossing there seems little hope of their being able to issue a fine for non-payment.
I think billybob has hit the nail on the head, in a lot (not all) of cases, the drivers will leave the road when it becomes a toll road and use the normal road, hence the traffic jams (and accidents).
I'm sure the Portuguese department who thought up this idea of overhead recording knew what they were doing, unfortunately, perhaps they were the only ones who did!!!
Joao

Big Ant

And if the Tolls weren't enough.....coming back from Lisboa yesterday, cruising at 200kmh....slowed, to use my newly installed ViaVerde devices......thru the 'gap', and arrived safely home. Just to see an email about the damn ViaVerde having camera if you go over the 60kmh speed limit. Reckon I went thru at 120kmh, so looks like another fine for the coffers of Portuguese. Doh.

chrismortley

I contacted our preferred car hire company yesterday about the toll payment,we use the A22 from Faro to Spain .
All they could tell me was that they know of them but have had no information from the authorities about fees or collection of payment.
If there are going to be tracking devices fitted to vehicles,forms to be filled out where ever or prepaid tolls I should have thought someone needed to get their finger out ASAP,