Can someone please explain the car tags?

rekrow

I make the occasional trip to Dublin from Galway. With doubling of the tolls on the m50 for people who don't have tags, I am wondering if it is worth my while to get one. I looked at the NRA site which I thought might offer a breakdown of which one would be best to get (as I'll be travelling through three different toll roads). There doesn't seem to be any comparsion of the charges just links to the respective sites. Not much detail about how the charge. Anyone know where I could get good comparision info, or whether it is worth bothering to get one? Will I pay more in rental than just putting cash in the bucket or getting my number plates photographed?

Navan Junction

Get yourself a foreign reg car and you'll pay nothing in tolls where they are barrier free, as well as no tax requirment and reduced VRT.

Seriously, I know of people that have tags just to cross the M50 for Liffey Valley shopping centre.

At the moment, it isn't cheaper and you pay upfront. It would appear that it will be cheaper on the M50 with the upgrade.

On everything else the prices are the same for tag/no tag as far as I remember from the M4, Port Tunnel and M1.

The handy thing is that you don't queue as much, but again they do charge you up front. If you are ever late and using it means you get to use a faster queue, then you'll appreciate it.

rekrow

Thanks Navan Junction. Good to see the free market economy at work!!! I thought the new private roads were supposed to be different after the lessons learned at the Westlink, and have discounted rates for free flow users. Will they ever learn?

Aquavid

rekrow wrote: »

Thanks Navan Junction. Good to see the free market economy at work!!! I thought the new private roads were supposed to be different after the lessons learned at the Westlink, and have discounted rates for free flow users. Will they ever learn?

I have a tag (and have since 2002). Me Ballinteer, Girlfriend Balbriggan!

Apart from the slight advantage of queueing (and not having to stop on the "fast through" tag lanes on the M1/M8) there is another advantage which I rarely hear people mention - not having to scrabble around for the correct change, and not ending up tossing more than you need into the basket.

Yes, I pay up front, but the interest on the average amount of €40 or so that they would have at any given time is wouldn't buy me half a sandwich in all the time I've had it.

Aquavid

BoatMad

great things thoses tags , I never had any change and was always begging the toll people to let me through, used to get embarrasing...

L1011

I've an eTrip, only 50c/month (compared to 1.27 or whatever for an eazypass) and I save that in not getting change back from the automatic machines at night on the M1/M4, possibly more. Its also smaller and less obtrusive than the eazypass's my colleagues have - new ones are probably the same size though.

Ironically the eTrip is the Port Tunnel tag officially and I've used it *once*. I use the M1 and M4 every week on average!

Random

MYOB wrote: »

I've an eTrip, only 50c/month (compared to 1.27 or whatever for an eazypass) and I save that in not getting change back from the automatic machines at night on the M1/M4, possibly more. Its also smaller and less obtrusive than the eazypass's my colleagues have - new ones are probably the same size though.

Ironically the eTrip is the Port Tunnel tag officially and I've used it *once*. I use the M1 and M4 every week on average!

Where do you get one of these ?

Victor

Either you local ecstacy dealer or http://www.etrip.ie/

L1011

Victor wrote: »

Either you local ecstacy dealer or http://www.etrip.ie/

I can guarantee your local dealer can provide a trip for less than the purchase cost of the tag, it just might not last as long