UK-registered car and the M50

Immaculata

A friend of mine in an UK-registered hire car used the M50 twice today. Are UK-registered cars liable for tolls on the M50, does anyone know? Thanks.

Atlantic Dawn

Apparently they do chase them up but I can't imagine them spending a couple of grand to recoup €8.

CiniO

If it was a hire car, then eflow will take money from hire company, and hire company will charge renter's credit card. All straight forward.

corktina

i dont see how that works as they dont have access to the UK system to find out if its a hire car or not.

naoise80

A friend of mine in an UK-registered hire car used the M50 twice today. Are UK-registered cars liable for tolls on the M50, does anyone know? Thanks.

To answer the OP's question: Yes.

R.O.R

They can send e-flow notices to foreign registered vehicles. If a UK rental company receives one of these, I'd say they'll pay it to avoid further charges, recharge the cost to the credit card provided, and probably slap on a healthy "admin" fee for good measure.

corktina

how do they know where to send it?

R.O.R

corktina wrote: »

how do they know where to send it?

Not sure how, but they can get the registered address of the vehicle.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

1. Yes, they do follow up on UK registered cars.

2. They used the toll road so why no pay like everybody else? If it was the M1, or any other toll road, they'd have to pay so why not the M50?

ARGINITE

Been through the M50 tolls a few time in my UK registered car and have never had to pay a toll for it. I would imagine it's the same for a rental car.

I would be more worried about driving a UK rental outside of the UK then the M50 toll TBH.

Daegerty

ARGINITE wrote: »

Been through the M50 tolls a few time in my UK registered car and have never had to pay a toll for it. I would imagine it's the same for a rental car.

I would be more worried about driving a UK rental outside of the UK then the M50 toll TBH.

A lot of the time you are allowed to use rental cars in other EU countries but they might make you pay a bit extra for it

keithclancy

R.O.R wrote: »

They can send e-flow notices to foreign registered vehicles. If a UK rental company receives one of these, I'd say they'll pay it to avoid further charges, recharge the cost to the credit card provided, and probably slap on a healthy "admin" fee for good measure.

Its a private company, how can they get your address to send it to based on the license plate.

If no information sharing agreement is in place then it requires a court order in the country to get it.

What if I ring up from 'Jimmy Joe Toll Collect B.V.' in the Netherlands and make a request to get your address from your license plate number for an unpaid toll. The Gardai would tell me to get stuffed.

You can't do it as a company or an individual, why would you think that the company running the tolls can.

If its a foreign plate for that matter, how would they even know its a rental.

Rental cars can cross borders ... its normal, the only caveat is if there are special tax restrictions in the country.

i.e.
As a Dutch resident you can rent a Dutch car and drive it anywhere in the EU
You can rent a German/Belgian/French etc car and drive it anywhere in the EU except The Netherlands.

Ireland / GB Restrictions usually apply due to the recovery cost if the car is off the Island.

phog

My sister in a UK registered car uses the M50 about 4 times a year, since it went barrier free she (I) paid the toll the first time but since then she doesn't pay the toll and hasn't ever heard from them for the payment.

If they were following up I'm sure they could cross check my visa card and her car reg or would the data protection allow that?

keithclancy

phog wrote: »

My sister in a UK registered car uses the M50 about 4 times a year, since it went barrier free she (I) paid the toll the first time but since then she doesn't pay the toll and hasn't ever heard from them for the payment.

If they were following up I'mer sure thay could cross check my visa card and her car reg or would the data protection allow that?

Doubful since they would need a court order to get your bank records and what would that prove ... that you've paid a toll on a foreign car once that wasnt yours ?

R.O.R

keithclancy wrote: »

Its a private company, how can they get your address to send it to based on the license plate.

If no information sharing agreement is in place then it requires a court order in the country to get it.

What if I ring up from 'Jimmy Joe Toll Collect B.V.' in the Netherlands and make a request to get your address from your license plate number for an unpaid toll. The Gardai would tell me to get stuffed.

You can't do it as a company or an individual, why would you think that the company running the tolls can.

If its a foreign plate for that matter, how would they even know its a rental.

Rental cars can cross borders ... its normal, the only caveat is if there are special tax restrictions in the country.

i.e.
As a Dutch resident you can rent a Dutch car and drive it anywhere in the EU
You can rent a German/Belgian/French etc car and drive it anywhere in the EU except The Netherlands.

Ireland / GB Restrictions usually apply due to the recovery cost if the car is off the Island.

I know of at least 1 Boardsie with an NI car & address who has recieved toll notifications for the M50.

Opel Ireland received a toll notice, forwarded on from Opel AG, for an Electric powered Combo van that was registered to head office in Germany, but brought over here as a demo. I didn't see the notice, but have no reason not to believe the guy in Opel about this.

wonski

R.O.R wrote: »

I know of at least 1 Boardsie with an NI car & address who has recieved toll notifications for the M50.

Opel Ireland received a toll notice, forwarded on from Opel AG, for an Electric powered Combo van that was registered to head office in Germany, but brought over here as a demo. I didn't see the notice, but have no reason not to believe the guy in Opel about this.

Know people who received fines in Poland. Sent by another company, who apparently has agreement with eflow to chase debts. As soon as the penalty kicks in they look for recovery.... Cars were on polish plates. I don't think it is illegal, they need to have a loophole to chase foreign "visitors".
Good luck to everyone who thinks is lucky! Sooner or later you all get nice letters.

testicle

Daegerty wrote: »

A lot of the time you are allowed to use rental cars in other EU countries but they might make you pay a bit extra for it

Yeah, but you can't take them on ferries, so it must have been an NI rental.

opinion guy

I know of people with legit irish regs cars who cross the bridge on a daily basis and never get any bills.

keithclancy

R.O.R wrote: »

I know of at least 1 Boardsie with an NI car & address who has recieved toll notifications for the M50.

If you register then you would recieve a toll notification because you have furnished your details.

R.O.R wrote: »

Opel Ireland received a toll notice, forwarded on from Opel AG, for an Electric powered Combo van that was registered to head office in Germany, but brought over here as a demo. I didn't see the notice, but have no reason not to believe the guy in Opel about this.

Again those details have to be provided by the company or individual, the Germans will not provide registration details from a license plate number without there being an agreement in place.

Especially in Germany where they are very anal about data protection.

Because of the issues with cross border chaseups of fines the Germans have enforcement of tolls on the roads and issue on the spot fines for foreign registered trucks that haven't paid via a tollcollect terminal or do not have an electronic tag.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

This follows the agreement which allows authorities to share information on law-breaking motorists for the first time since March of last year (2010). The UK's department responsible for transport is also pursuing more than 2,300 motorists from the Republic of Ireland. Under the agreement, drivers from the Republic have to pay speeding, toll, and parking fines received in the UK and vice versa — fines they were previously able to avoid.

The data exchange pilot project was created to “facilitate the better enforcement of parking fines and toll charges for motorists travelling between both jurisdictions.”

The project builds on and expands an existing reciprocal agreement with the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLNI) in Northern Ireland to exchange UK and ROI vehicle inforamtion...

There is definately an exchange of information and now that collection for speeding in in the habds of a private company, apparently they will be more able to pursue fines outside the jurisdiction.

Our man in Havana

Firstly Eflow do not have access to UK or any other nations vehicle records.

What eflow do is they give the numbers of foreign vehicles to a shower called EPC who are basically debt collectors. They are able to pay the DVLA in the UK £2.50 a shot for the registered keeper details. They then proceed to send out threatening letters. EPC have similar relationships with some other countries but not all. If your country has no agreement with EPC nothing will happen and eflow will never see their money.

If you don't pay EPC nothing happens anyways. It is just all scare tactics.

ardmacha

Yes, they can get your details and follow up via the likes of EPC (above). There is an EU agreement about getting details for tolls, parking tickets and the like.

Will they bother for a couple of trips? Unlikely.

However your friend used the road, and should pay for it.

Our man in Havana

There is an EU agreement about getting details for tolls, parking tickets and the like.

Not all EU countries are sharing data.

Immaculata

testicle wrote: »

Yeah, but you can't take them on ferries, so it must have been an NI rental.

My friend rented the car in Somerset in England and came over via the Fishguard ferry, pulling a caravan. He did tell the rental company that he was heading over here, and they charged him an extra 25 pounds to cover the insurance for Ireland. So it is possible, in case you ever want to do it.

I tried to hire a car with a tow hitch and couldn't find one that the hire company could let me take out of the country, so maybe it doesn't work the other way over.

Thanks everyone for your comments. I paid the two tolls just to tie up the loose end, since it was a hire car.

Gallagher5

Foreign registered cars are subject to the same rules as us, says so on the eflow website. There's some kind of cross-border agreement in place I think. Saw an article in the paper about it last year.

Our man in Havana

Rubbish. Eflow propaganda you read.

keithclancy

Our man in Havana wrote: »

Rubbish. Eflow propaganda you read.

I'll let you know next month, driving on the M8 ... see if i get any notices after :P

Our man in Havana

The M8 is outside eflows remit.

laois hibby

testicle wrote: »

Yeah, but you can't take them on ferries, so it must have been an NI rental.

you can but you must buy the AA 5 star insurance yourself seperatley to cover breakdown recovery

PaulKK

keithclancy wrote: »

I'll let you know next month, driving on the M8 ... see if i get any notices after :P

Good luck with that, M8 is not barrier free.