M8 Fermoy toll not taking cards

Conchurl

Passed through this yesterday and was going to pay with card was told it's cash only and he gave me a slip of paper to pay online.

Anyone know why they dont take car

Sully

I'd imagine it's a regular occurrence. Think only toll that doesn't take card too

Conchurl

Sully wrote: »

I'd imagine it's a regular occurrence. Think only toll that doesn't take card too

The lad got a bit cranky with me for not having cash. He said next time they mightn't let me through till I get the cash

wonski

They will let you through.

What else would they do?

Call Gardaí and escort you back in reverse to the previous exit to withdraw cash from atm?

Now you know they don't take cards.

Why? No idea. Costs I guess.

benjamin d

That is an absolute joke tbh. Jesus a bloody weed dealer or market stall selling christmas wreaths has no excuse not to take card payments these days so why are these clowns getting away with it?

bmc58

Conchurl wrote: »

Passed through this yesterday and was going to pay with card was told it's cash only and he gave me a slip of paper to pay online.

Anyone know why they dont take car

There is an express lane also that you must have to pay in advance to go straight through.I see plenty of cars using this.So there must be a way of registering your car for a straight through drive.

Conchurl

wonski wrote: »

They will let you through.

What else would they do?

Call Gardaí and escort you back in reverse to the previous exit to withdraw cash from atm?

Now you know they don't take cards.

Why? No idea. Costs I guess.

Haha yeah I was thinking they would hardly tell me to turn around and head away

bmc58

benjamin d wrote: »

That is an absolute joke tbh. Jesus a bloody weed dealer or market stall selling christmas wreaths has no excuse not to take card payments these days so why are these clowns getting away with it?

It's their stretch of motorway and they make the rules.Inform yourself on your journey first.

L1011

bmc58 wrote: »

There is an express lane also that you must have to pay in advance to go straight through.I see plenty of cars using this.So there must be a way of registering your car for a straight through drive.

That would be for toll transponders which we've had on every toll bridge since maybe 2003.

http://www.etoll.ie/

benjamin d

bmc58 wrote: »

It's their stretch of motorway and they make the rules.Inform yourself on your journey first.

What's with the uber-capitalist response? You know damn well that not taking card payments is extremely unusual and unnecessarily (and deliberately) awkward for a toll booth. It's also a PPP so while it may be "theirs" it is so through agreement with the Irish government, i.e. the taxpayers who use the service.

I don't give a ****e what the product or service is, in the 21st century there is absolutely no excuse for being cash only. An airline can take cards at 37000ft, anyone can buy a card reader for less than 30 quid. Absolutely no excuse.

kirving

bmc58 wrote: »

It's their stretch of motorway and they make the rules.Inform yourself on your journey first.

No, it might be (partly?) owned run by a private company, but it's national infrastructure which must adhere to minimum standards, as outlined by a state contract.

One of those standards ought to be a requirement to take card payment. It's completely unreasonable these days not to take card. I can think of only one reason that they don't.

By your logic, they could dictate that everyone must pay by cheque and anyone who doesn't like it should have informed themselves.

wonski

In fairness airplane is not the best example as they generally sell overpriced **** for ridiculous money.

Toll transactions are under 2 euro so not much margin there.

Saying that an automated barrier on one of the lanes with card reader could be an option for less frequent users.

Issues starts when cards or terminal fail, though in the above scenario.

bmc58

benjamin d wrote: »

What's with the uber-capitalist response? You know damn well that not taking card payments is extremely unusual and unnecessarily (and deliberately) awkward for a toll booth. It's also a PPP so while it may be "theirs" it is so through agreement with the Irish government, i.e. the taxpayers who use the service.

I don't give a ****e what the product or service is, in the 21st century there is absolutely no excuse for being cash only. An airline can take cards at 37000ft, anyone can buy a card reader for less than 30 quid. Absolutely no excuse.

Rules are rules.If you want to use a service provided obey the rules.Otherwise a long drive through traffic jammed towns is always available to you.

wonski

bmc58 wrote: »

Rules are rules.If you want to use a service provided obey the rules.Otherwise a long drive through traffic jammed towns is always available to you.

Jesus. He just asked why.


Rules are rules lol...

Sure they are.

If I go to a shop that does not take cards I am still allowed to ask a question, not to be kicked out straight away because their rules are rules.

Happy Christmas

benjamin d

bmc58 wrote: »

Rules are rules.If you want to use a service provided obey the rules.Otherwise a long drive through traffic jammed towns is always available to you.

You're on some weird bootlicker nonsense here.

It's a public private partnership run on behalf of the state, which means you and me and everyone else who might use the road. This is not walking into a shop to buy a bottle of coke here, it's a service provider contracted from the government that is deliberately offering degraded, below normal expectations service, presumably with the intention of gouging a few late fees out of users. Now that the road is built the toll booth is essentially a state sanctioned licence to print money; they should be forced to provide all reasonable methods to do that for users.

mikeecho

I've had friends from foreign countries driving rental cars , bewildered why they couldn't pay for tolls with a card on their drive from Dublin airport to cork. (M50 excluded from the bewilderment)

Barrier free tolls are pretty common.

I had to pay a few in Canada, and I didn't know if the car reg was a O or a 0 when paying online.

Turns out Canada doesn't use one of those characters in their system, can't remember which one... Probably the O

Charles Babbage

These tolls are allowed obstruct a motorway, they should be required to take cards and the Drogheda one should have been required to take sterling from the beginning (for an appropriate commission).

Wildly Boaring

Kevin Irving wrote: »

No, it might be (partly?) owned run by a private company, but it's national infrastructure which must adhere to minimum standards, as outlined by a state contract.

One of those standards ought to be a requirement to take card payment. It's completely unreasonable these days not to take card. I can think of only one reason that they don't.

By your logic, they could dictate that everyone must pay by cheque and anyone who doesn't like it should have informed themselves.

Yes and when they signed the contract card payments were uncommon and expensive.

So it's not in their contract to provide.

Perhaps they have written to TII for a variation and were told no? Then they may simply to holding out for the state to cough up. No skin off their nose

Riva10

bmc58 wrote: »

It's their stretch of motorway and they make the rules.Inform yourself on your journey first.

Have you any problem getting through the toll with that high horse of yours.

wingnut

Riva10 wrote: »

Have you any problem getting through the toll with that high horse of yours.

Limerick tunnel too and I think it's absolutely stupid they don't take cards. You can pay card in almost every car park, similar value.

Wildly Boaring

wingnut wrote: »

Limerick tunnel too and I think it's absolutely stupid they don't take cards. You can pay card in almost every car park, similar value.

Well that makes sense. Operated by same company.

eljono

I got a toll tag for my car around 5 years ago and it's the business. I probably travel through around 4-6 tolls a month, which isn't that many, but I never have to worry if I have change and can go straight through the express lane.

Definitely recommend.

hognef

bmc58 wrote: »

Rules are rules.If you want to use a service provided obey the rules.Otherwise a long drive through traffic jammed towns is always available to you.

How about, at the very least, requiring those rules to be posted alongside the road, well in time for people to get off and find a cash machine? It's a bit late to only let you know at the "checkout" when there is no longer any way to back out.

Cork Trucker

Why not just get a tag? €1.23 a month for it inclusive of VAT. No queuing, no digging for change, just straight through the express lane.

mycro2013

hognef wrote: »

How about, at the very least, requiring those rules to be posted alongside the road, well in time for people to get off and find a cash machine? It's a bit late to only let you know at the "checkout" when there is no longer any way to back out.

Same thing happened to me at mass last week. They dont accept card.

hognef

mycro2013 wrote: »

Same thing happened to me at mass last week. They dont accept card.

Was there no way for you to back out at that point?

Heres Johnny

I got caught at that toll too, gave me the slip of paper and paid online. He was a bit rude about it too.

Conchurl

Heres Johnny wrote: »

I got caught at that toll too, gave me the slip of paper and paid online. He was a bit rude about it too.

Ya he didn't seem too happy about it

Conchurl

Cork Trucker wrote: »

Why not just get a tag? €1.23 a month for it inclusive of VAT. No queuing, no digging for change, just straight through the express lane.

Not worth getting a tag when I only go through it about 10 times a year

Cork Trucker

Conchurl wrote: »

Not worth getting a tag when I only go through it about 10 times a year

I’d be around the same in my private car. Works on all tolls though so it’s handy.

blindsider

I wonder what would happen if there was a day where almost every car tried to pay by card?

I wonder what would happen?

Cork Trucker

blindsider wrote: »

I wonder what would happen if there was a day where almost every car tried to pay by card?

I wonder what would happen?

They’ll be issuing I.O.U’s like confetti

eljono

eljono wrote: »

I got a toll tag for my car around 5 years ago and it's the business. I probably travel through around 4-6 tolls a month, which isn't that many, but I never have to worry if I have change and can go straight through the express lane.

Definitely recommend.

I go through tolls about 16 times a month but I’m not going to pay extra for a tag. The tags should make the tolls cheaper not actually end up costing you more.

The toll should be at least 30 or 40 cent cheaper for use of the tag and no monthly charge.

It’s also a joke they don’t take card, would be so handy to have a contactless terminal the same as they have coin baskets.

hognef

Case Helpful Snot wrote: »

I go through tolls about 16 times a month but I’m not going to pay extra for a tag. The tags should make the tolls cheaper not actually end up costing you more.

The toll should be at least 30 or 40 cent cheaper for use of the tag and no monthly charge.

Indeed. Using a tag reduces their labour costs, so should benefit the user, not them. Their goal should be to get as many as possible signed up to tags, to minimise the need for human labour. Most lanes should be free-flow, not the other way around.

bazz26

I was in the US earlier this year and the toll tags were linked to the car's license plate, no BS with needing a tag. They had cash/card lanes alright but I rarely seen a car use them when I was there. They have dozens if not more different toll operators and still can manage to centralize the system for users. But here in good old Ireland where we only have a few toll operators there is no conjoined thinking, like everything here these things become overly complicated and expensive when they don't need to be.

hognef

bazz26 wrote: »

I was in the US earlier this year and the toll tags were linked to the car's license plate, no BS with needing a tag. They had cash/card lanes alright but I rarely seen a car use them when I was there. They have dozens if not more different toll operators and still can manage to centralize the system for users. But here in good old Ireland where we only have a few toll operators there is no conjoined thinking, like everything here these things become overly complicated and expensive when they don't need to be.

Not disagreeing with you, but wanted to mention that some areas (North-East for example) do require tags for free-flow passage. Again, most people seem to have them. There's no country-wide system in place.

Norway, on the other hand, does have a country-wide system, with so many toll roads now that the last election included candidates from a new party called "No to More Road Tolls".

There are over 250 toll stations (https://ferde.no/kart/?lang=en) primarily around cities and towns, but all bar one are fully automatic and charged through the same system.

If you have a tag (which most do, as there's no downside to it, it's free) you'll get a 20% discount, and payment is of course automatic (I believe there are various forms of pre pay and post pay).

If you don't have a tag, you receive an invoice at your registered address (no discount, but also no additional charges). Allegedly, this works pretty well even for foreign cars. It looks like it's possible for foreigners to pre-register their details, which obviously will help.

The system also interoperates with those from a few other countries, including Denmark and Austria.

whomitconcerns

I have my UK car registered. Makes it a lot easier

Charles Babbage

whomitconcerns wrote: »

I have my UK car registered. Makes it a lot easier

So you just have to use your Barclaycard then?
Why didn't we think of that.

bmc58

benjamin d wrote: »

What's with the uber-capitalist response? You know damn well that not taking card payments is extremely unusual and unnecessarily (and deliberately) awkward for a toll booth. It's also a PPP so while it may be "theirs" it is so through agreement with the Irish government, i.e. the taxpayers who use the service.

I don't give a ****e what the product or service is, in the 21st century there is absolutely no excuse for being cash only. An airline can take cards at 37000ft, anyone can buy a card reader for less than 30 quid. Absolutely no excuse.

Sweden could be your utopia.Think about moving there if you're so dissasified with our Irish ways.I for one do not want a cashless society.

hognef

bmc58 wrote: »

Sweden could be your utopia.Think about moving there if you're so dissasified with our Irish ways.I for one do not want a cashless society.

Sweden might be a utopia indeed, as they have no toll roads (and even ferries are free as they are considered part of the road network) so this thread at least would never exist there.

ianobrien

I'm surprised that cards are not taken. It's very common for toll payment to be made by card on the continent. I've paid plenty of small tolls by card when on the continent.

Given the rise of contactless payment, it's gotten easier for the toll operators, just have the terminal on a long cable and pass it out to the driver!

whomitconcerns

Charles Babbage wrote: »

So you just have to use your Barclaycard then?
Why didn't we think of that.

Well I have it registered with my Irish card, but works with NatWest etc. However came through the port tunnel off the ferry the other night and there is one barrier that takes cards..I had no euro changes on me. So had to queue, get out of car, cross 3 lanes, get change from the guy, back to car and throw in basket.. Either that or get on a queue all the way back to the entrance to the road....

coolbeans

bmc58 wrote: »

It's their stretch of motorway and they make the rules.Inform yourself on your journey first.

Cash is going the way of the dinosaurs, don't be making excuses for them. I'd laugh in yer man's face if he even suggested he wasn't going to let me through.

un5byh7sqpd2x0

coolbeans wrote: »

Cash is going the way of the dinosaurs, don't be making excuses for them. I'd laugh in yer man's face if he even suggested he wasn't going to let me through.

He'd be even less inclined to let you through then.

coolbeans

Zayne Scarce Marmot wrote: »

He'd be even less inclined to let you through then.

What's he going to do? Tell me to turn around. In actual fact I did exactly that last year come to think of it. He left me off with the note after that.

9935452

wingnut wrote: »

Limerick tunnel too and I think it's absolutely stupid they don't take cards. You can pay card in almost every car park, similar value.

I do know someone who paid by card at the limerick tunnel when it opened .

They had to ring back to the office to take the payment

Cork Trucker

9935452 wrote: »

I do know someone who paid by card at the limerick tunnel when it opened .

They had to ring back to the office to take the payment

Same thing happens if you have a tag that doesn't work but the vehicle is registered, had to do it in Limerick and Cork on numerous occasions one year.

The Rape of Lucretia

Thats truly extraordinary. Amzing to think that they can run such a bad show. Even though there are probably details of the service they must provide in their contract, taking cards are likely such an assumed basic item that it wasnt evem listed.
Does anyone know is it just out and out incompetence, or, a deliberate decision because it saves them cost in some way (infrastucture, fees, maintenance, or whatever) ?
Talk about going against the tide of convenience, electronic payments, cards, touchpay.

Truckermal

coolbeans wrote: »

What's he going to do? Tell me to turn around. In actual fact I did exactly that last year come to think of it. He left me off with the note after that.

No where to turn there or exit the Motorway so it's impossible unless he wants you to drive against the flow of Traffic.

I use this Toll every day and find the staff really rude and ignorant.

astrofool

It's amazing we even have people run tolls at all, at least they know they're overdue for the chop (which probably explains the attitude).

And good to know they write IOU's, not sure why everyone doesn't just ask to pay by card, bmc58 can pay for everyone's toll.

bmc58

coolbeans wrote: »

Cash is going the way of the dinosaurs, don't be making excuses for them. I'd laugh in yer man's face if he even suggested he wasn't going to let me through.

Cash will always be around.There will always be people who are not au fait with the use of cards and prefer cash.