Confused by Toll options.

watty

I normally use westlink toll once on Monday and once on Friday.

I'm confused as to the best option now. eflow.ie, easypass, tag.ie, etrip.ie etc.

Also now who ever runs it knows when I have gone past. Loss of privacy. How is that information kept safe?

I plan to simply avoid the new limerick tunnel on principle.

What should I do now that pay as you pass barrier is getting abolished? I found the eflow web site confusing.

Random

Someone in another thread linked to http://www.tagcompare.ie/ which they say is kept updated as the various companys send in updates.

This person was linked to one of the tag companys though I think so I'm not sure how neutral the website is.

watty

http://www.moneyguideireland.com/

For M50 users who pass the toll plaza more than 5 times a month the cheapest option in all cases is to go with a supplier that offers a free tag and a €1 euro a month admin fee. The suppliers that offer this are Eflow.ie , Eazypass.ie and directroute.ie . Eazypass.ie is our recommended one of these three - because only Eazypass accept credit card , laser cards and direct debits. Eflow don’t take credit cards for some reason - and directroute only take credit cards.

twice a week x 4 = 8 times per month?

So Eazypass.ie?

But for someone else a different option might be better. This is insane.

And 30% is spent in running it.

I'm campaigning to increase RoadTax disc and abolish all tolls for all time. It's mad.

L1011

The site isn't run by a tag firm, its run the NRA (arguably they control eFlow and all that though..) The person who you're referring to works for another tag firm entirely.

For 8 journeys a month, eFlow lease should be cheapest, €1 a month charge and standard €2 a trip; no upfront purchase charges. If you intend to keep the tag for ages eTrip pre-purchased works out cheaper by a few cent a month after SEVEN YEARS to recoup the initial cost.

Wishbone Ash

Apologies for going a bit off topic but at the moment I'm trying to add a tag to my Easypass account. I need the account number to login but it's not on any correspondence from them. Where would I get it?

MYOB wrote: »

standard €2 a trip

Depending on the type of vehicle!

watty

eazypass you have to sign up before you get charge and payment details????

Also in FAQ they take 40 Euro per time. That's 10 weeks in advance. And again when "low"



eflow take 30 Euro in advance?
Elsewhere on eflow

Please note that your account will be charged the Initial Start-Up Amount of €40 in August 2008. Please note that your account will be charged a monthly Account Fee of €1 per Tag.

** Your account will be automatically topped up by the selected amount when it reaches the minimum account balance of €12.

(Website doesn't work on Opera)

watty

what if your laser has run out when eflow want to take money?
Does eflow work on Drogheda bypass or proposed Limerick tunnel?

Wishbone Ash

watty wrote: »

what if your laser has run out when eflow want to take money?

Presumably they seek more money long before the remaining balance runs out. If there is nothing there they contact you?

thebman

See I have an issue with this:
** Your account will be automatically topped up by the selected amount when it reaches the minimum account balance of €12.

Why exactly is this the case?

It pisses me off as does the fact that none of these system seem to work nationwide or be fully integrated. It all seems to be implemented so half arsed.

Random

brim4brim wrote: »

See I have an issue with this:
** Your account will be automatically topped up by the selected amount when it reaches the minimum account balance of €12.

Why exactly is this the case?

It pisses me off as does the fact that none of these system seem to work nationwide or be fully integrated. It all seems to be implemented so half arsed.

I agree completely in relation to the minimum topup. They're making interest off our money while we're forced to keep a balance of €12 all the time and topup a minimum of about €30.

I don't know what you mean about systems not working nationwide though, they should work on all toll roads in Ireland some car parks in Dublin from what I understand.

Wishbone Ash

brim4brim wrote: »

Why exactly is this the case?

Well otherwise one could arrive at the barrier and discover that it won't rise. When barrier free tolling comes in, the motorist could be incurring hefty charges without knowing it. The top-up before the account empties is much better as it gives then time to contact you if funds are insufficent.

brim4brim wrote:

It pisses me off as does the fact that none of these system seem to work nationwide or be fully integrated. It all seems to be implemented so half arsed.

Easypass is nationwide.

watty

Does the eflow tag work on all roads?
Why have a tag at all for eFlow if you register for M50 /westlink if the number plate recognition works?
(Which it does in UK anyway, though they enforce standard numberplates)

thebman

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Well otherwise one could arrive at the barrier and discover that it won't rise. When barrier free tolling comes in, the motorist could be incurring hefty charges without knowing it. The top-up before the account empties is much better as it gives then time to contact you if funds are insufficent.

Easypass is nationwide.

I don't they are nationwide, its not stated on all their websites anyway. I read everything on tolltag.ie and couldn't see any mention of it. It needs to be clearly stated if it they are.

By nationwide, I mean roads and car parks including Irish rails since they decided to charge.

There should be government enforced co-opearation between all these different groups.

watty

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Well otherwise one could arrive at the barrier and discover that it won't rise. When barrier free tolling comes in, the motorist could be incurring hefty charges without knowing it. The top-up before the account empties is much better as it gives then time to contact you if funds are insufficent.

If you are using DD, laser or Credit card and they have the details there is no need for a minimum balance or a topup of 30 or 40 Euro. The fact is that it is not billing but automatic pre-pay. It's like buying pre-pay phone credit. I see no reason why with registration and card or bank details they can't simply take what is owed once a month.

This is extortion.

Actually I've never understood why something the Victorians wisely abolished as corrupt and unfair should be re-introduced at all.

watty

Anyway it seems easypass 1 Euro excludes VAT and eflow 1 euro includes it.
And this year I will pay 40 Euro up front, 12 x 1 Euro per month = 56 Euro this year extra, almost 1Eur extra a week, I will be paying 5 Euro a week instead of 4 Euro and still encountering congestion.

Since they insist on automatic topup of a largish amount, on AVERAGE, it's not 12 Euro they have but more like 21 to 27 Euro of your money..
So at least 2M Euro they have to get interest on.

thebman

watty wrote: »

Does the eflow tag work on all roads?
Why have a tag at all for eFlow if you register for M50 /westlink if the number plate recognition works?
(Which it does in UK anyway, though they enforce standard numberplates)

Tolls other than the M50 (and maybe one or two others) don't support number plate recognition (I read it one of these toll tag websites).

watty

But if you only care about the M50, why pay extra to NOT have a tag?

thebman

watty wrote: »

But if you only care about the M50, why pay extra to NOT have a tag?

Dunno, guess some people don't want an unsightly tag on their Maybach's.

AlekSmart

I have no opinions on which tag is bestest etc etc...as far as I am concerned the entire operation is a continuation and extension of a DEEPLY flawed and highly dubious Toll Bridge regeime.

Lets be clear on this....the West Link "facility" has long ago been paid for and should most certainly have reverted into "normal" public thoroughfare made .

However,thanks to a highly unusual and most definitely skewed contract with the Government (one which has NEVER been adequetly explained) we have already witnessed a single company,NTR become a hugely successful entity based entirely on this single contract.

Some of this country`s most disreputable Politicians and their business friends came together to draw up a deeply flawed and suspicious contract which is now being copper fastened by their successors...have we lost our senses as we now agonize and jostle for pole position to give these shysters direct access to our Bank accounts too !!!!

Oi Vey.... :P

L1011

The €12 minimum balance is so that you can get through the Port Tunnel at peak times even if your bank/card issuer is not contactable, basically. Why they need to take €30 and not €12 as the minimum topup I'll never figure out though.

ALL tags work on ALL toll roads (thanks to the NRA and the eToll standard).

Nowhere other than the M50 has the reg plate recognition - nor do I expect any of them to add it due to the problem of having barriers - it'd add a horrific time lag if the system had to read the plate and process it to check for details of every car that was sitting in a lane.

If anyone can explain why having a tag is cheaper than plate recognition - which will be run on every vehicle anyway - I'd be interested to know. Both give the tollroad operator instant access to the cash electronically...

L1011

brim4brim wrote: »

I don't they are nationwide, its not stated on all their websites anyway. I read everything on tolltag.ie and couldn't see any mention of it. It needs to be clearly stated if it they are.

By nationwide, I mean roads and car parks including Irish rails since they decided to charge.

There should be government enforced co-opearation between all these different groups.

Parking is just an add-on offered by some firms. Its not standard and does not need to be standard.

The operation of tags on toll roads IS government enforced. The NRA has a standard to which all operators must comply for tolling tags, and clearly, they all do. My tag is issued by a firm which doesn't operate a single toll road (eTrip) and I've used it on every toll road in the state thanks to eToll.

tolltag.ie carries the NRA eToll logo, I would have thought this was more than sufficient to 'clearly state' that its compatible with all toll roads. Any good driver who has ever driven on a toll road will have seen the eToll logo on signs. Only those far too dense to be safe to drive can have missed it if they've ever used a toll road.

watty

It was news to me that I could use any tag. I only go the west link and all the posters (Pinned up on the road, not ppl on boards)suggested that the only solution was eflow.ie.

But what rules, checks & balances exist for your privacy, to ensure only with a warrent, the time/date/direction of your passing the toll point can be obtained.

I'm still not 100% clear either if eflow.ie is best for me (2 passes per week).

And I'm very annoyed that essentially I will be forking out an extra 52 Euro this year.

thebman

MYOB wrote: »

Parking is just an add-on offered by some firms. Its not standard and does not need to be standard.

The operation of tags on toll roads IS government enforced. The NRA has a standard to which all operators must comply for tolling tags, and clearly, they all do. My tag is issued by a firm which doesn't operate a single toll road (eTrip) and I've used it on every toll road in the state thanks to eToll.

tolltag.ie carries the NRA eToll logo, I would have thought this was more than sufficient to 'clearly state' that its compatible with all toll roads. Any good driver who has ever driven on a toll road will have seen the eToll logo on signs. Only those far too dense to be safe to drive can have missed it if they've ever used a toll road.

I have no problems with car parks not supporting toll tags as long as they have pay by cash system in place and aren't using tags.

Any car park using tags should have to support all the tag operators that the motorways will support becuase otherwise, you have tag operators getting exclusive deals with car parks that will only accept tags from certain operators that forces people usin that car park to buy into that little monopoly.

You can always say park somewhere else but this isn't always an option like for example Irish Rail's car parks. If Irish Rail said, you have to get a tag from this operator to park here, people can't park in other car parks like shopping car parks or housing estates as they are for customer and resident use only and are therefore locked into this monopoly.

All the tag operator has to do is setup a ridiculous policy like you have to have a 100 euro on your account at any one time and they'll top up your account if you fall below this amount and they have 100 quid of everyones money for free all the time to do what they want with.

There should be mandatory cash payment accepted at all car parks or the ones supporting tags should have to support all tags IMO. Feel free to correct me on this, I'm sure as hell no expert but it looks like its open to this.

I don't see any harm with having a complete integrated toll and parking tag solution nationwide anyway as they can still charge what they want, its just using the tag for the handiness of getting people out quickly and not making people ensure they have the change to get out. Just seems to make sense to integrate all the systems since we have the ability to do it.

Tarabuses

watty wrote: »

And I'm very annoyed that essentially I will be forking out an extra 52 Euro this year.

As should we all be, Watty, but apparently that is not the case since the system is coming in to force with hardly a whimper from the public.:(

thebman

Tarabuses wrote: »

As should we all be, Watty, but apparently that is not the case since the system is coming in to force with hardly a whimper from the public.:(

Well most people will only know when it rolls out. A bit late then.

People don't read up on these things I guess

watty

They seem to have obfusticated the charges and method suggesting that you only pay extra if you didn't register.

I'm fairly abrest of stuff generally and the penny only dropped with me this week.

Tarabuses

watty wrote: »

They seem to have obfusticated the charges and method suggesting that you only pay extra if you didn't register.

I'm fairly abrest of stuff generally and the penny only dropped with me this week.

Isn't that always the way with government in this country? The fact that the TagCompare web site lists 13 alternatives for obtaining a tag must be exactly what they wanted.

HydeRoad

All of this is highly unorthodox if you ask me, and tantamount to legalised thievery. It seems that a deliberately confusing system has been instigated to blind people to the real costs of tolling and questionable increase in charges.

How many innocent people every day who seldom if ever use the toll bridge will drive across with no idea how to pay a toll, and find themselves with an undeserved fine in the post a few days later?

According to the Mail on Sunday, NTR have JUST discovered a loophole, whereby the agents contracted to collect the greasy cash will be unable to trace foreign registered cars. So if you have a foreign registered car, you travel free, by default.

I would imagine the same applies to drivers of cars with non-standard, illegal, muddy or otherwise obscured registration numbers, although the NTR seem not to have realised this yet, or it would cost too much to chase.

I don't understand why the general public are not screaming about this. The whole scheme is hair brained, and smacks of corruption at the highest levels, and deliberate attempts to smokescreen and mislead people.

AlekSmart

Sound ,Hyde Rd..Hopefully I can add your name to my list of...erm...well one and a bit who are willing to recognize yet another example of official Ireland taking it`s citizens for an open ended ride.

Thankfully I also see in today`s media a belated and muted awakening on the part of the Small Firms Association to yet another little scam being slipped in by the NRA...the abolition of the seperate VAT element from their lovely wee Toll system.

This battle I fear is already lost largely because the punch drunk Irish motorist never even realized what was afoot.

Remember this scam began well over 30 years ago when some of the country`s greatest political charlatans and their even more slithery business associates were at the apogee of their orbit around Eire`s green isle.

This stitch-up and its as yet unfinished returns was devised and implimented in an era when nobody asked any questions of these people as they traipsed down Moore St every election year and recieved the blessing of the Shawlies with an ever compliant RTE Camera crew traipsing behind trying to keep hold of their valuables.

IF,and its a big IF,this Government needs to facilitate it`s hangers on and business cronies then it should merely alow them to build their own SEPERATE motorway and bridge as an entirety and offer inducements to the plain-people to pay them for it.

What the West-Link "Facility" always was is a PRIVATE strangle hold over a PUBLICLY owned National Route with NO reasonable option for its avoidance.

Go back,my friends and take a look at the roll of honour of those involved in this masterpiece of deceptiveness,gasp in amazement as you ponder on what "Consultancy" services were provided by one L.Lawlor Esq to NTR in it`s quest for West Link`s domination,and thats only those "consultancy" payments which appear in the published accounts...:)

The removal of the West-Link Toll plaza SHOULD have been a final drum-roll for this type of shysterism,instead we see the Political Elite becoming even bolder in their treatment of their despised electorate as they introduce an open-ended electronic usury system with NO limits attaching......:eek:

It`s a scam,and possibly one which we thoroughly deserve judging by the meek acceptance of our collective fleecing....where do I pay Boss..???

Steviemak

Well said Aleksmart

testicle

brim4brim wrote: »

It pisses me off as does the fact that none of these system seem to work nationwide or be fully integrated. It all seems to be implemented so half arsed.

Every tag will work on every toll in the country.

ChiLadd

watty wrote: »

If you are using DD, laser or Credit card and they have the details there is no need for a minimum balance or a topup of 30 or 40 Euro. The fact is that it is not billing but automatic pre-pay. It's like buying pre-pay phone credit. I see no reason why with registration and card or bank details they can't simply take what is owed once a month.

This is extortion.

Actually I've never understood why something the Victorians wisely abolished as corrupt and unfair should be re-introduced at all.

I might be misunderstanding you here, but eFlow does offer a post-paid option, only charging you for what you used during the month at the start of the next month.

From the eflow website: "Post-paid Account means the type of account maintained by you with eFlow whereby your accumulated toll charges and fees for each month are charged against your chosen payment means during the first week of the following month."

watty

Have you a link? how much does it cost though including initial charges for twice a week, approx 8 passes per month?

thebman

testicle wrote: »

Every tag will work on every toll in the country.

You'd think you'd state that on your website if you were trying to convince people to buy your product.

watty

The stupid eFlow site won't let me create account / order tag. Of course my Laser doesn't work this time of month. It gets PMT before the money goes in.

L1011

brim4brim wrote: »

You'd think you'd state that on your website if you were trying to convince people to buy your product.

It has the eToll logo, which anyone non-blind who has driven on a toll road has seen. And the launch of which over a year ago was heralded by an NRA ad campaign. And which is shown by 'ALL TAGS ON ALL LANES' signs at pretty much every toll road in the country...

ChiLadd

watty wrote: »

Have you a link? how much does it cost though including initial charges for twice a week, approx 8 passes per month?

Goto to eflow.iw home page and hit the "Register Now" button. You'll end up here: https://csc.eflow.ie/newaccount/newaccount.aspx
Check Section 7 - Account Type and Payment Method and you'll see the Post Paid option (they only take Laser and DD for this option).

Tag is free. Monthly cost for 8 passes - 2 euro a pass and the 1 euro monthly charge. Total 17 euro for the month. Simple.

watty

except this is useless. It doesn't work if your account is at its overdraft limit. Debit card Merchants CAN get feature to take money even if account is at limit. Obviously eflow hasn't so the Laser option is useless.

Glenbhoy

If you need to register more than one vehicle then easypass does offer up to 4 tags for the one admin fee of €1.21, however they then demand a top up of €40 per vehicle registered, so for example you have 3 vehicles registered they debit your bank accountby €120 each time the €12 min balance is reached.
It's difficult to know which is the best option overall, but I'm with the general feeling here when you state the whole fcuking thing is a disgrace - it shows how ****ty our consumer organisations are when this was the best accommodation that could be reached...