Motorists say they got fined for M50 trips never made

LESS THAN three weeks after the introduction of barrier-free tolling on Dublin’s M50, some motorists are complaining they are being fined for failing to pay for journeys they did not make.

Following the removal of the barriers, motorists who have not registered for electronic payment methods have begun to get demands from system operator eFlow for payments and fines many claim are inappropriate.

Among the complaints are demands and fees for cars which it is claimed are off the road; for cars where the owner was abroad and insists the car was inactive; for double charging; and complaints about the length of time it takes to get through to call centres.

In addition, motor dealers have complained that a 20-day period to record change in vehicle ownership means former owners are getting demands for fees and fines in relation to trips undertaken by new owners. In some cases, the motor dealers themselves are getting the demands for trips made by cars they have sold.

Passengers in taxis have complained about being charged an additional €3 on their bill by cars fitted with a tag which is subject to just a €2 charge.

Car-hire companies have also complained that the system is extremely cumbersome for them to operate, with most vehicles having been returned by the time the bill comes in.

One driver from Cornelscourt, Dublin, told The Irish Times she had spent seven minutes “talking to a machine or waiting on hold” when using a mobile phone in a bid to explain her difficulty to operator eFlow.

“I was so upset; I had received a notice in the post and paid. Then I received another notice for the same trip and I took up the phone in a fit of anger. But I couldn’t get through and realised when I hung up I had been on the phone for more than seven minutes. I was so upset I cried.”

A number of callers to the RTÉ programme Liveline also expressed dissatisfaction yesterday, with one man from Cabra, Dublin, surmising that his car “was off driving by itself” while he was abroad on holiday. Another caller said his vehicle was off the road in Ballinasloe, Co Galway, at the time of the charge, while another insisted he was “drunk” on a Nitelink bus at the time.

Many callers expressed frustration at the environmental aspects of the four-page letter issued by eFlow and about the length of time taken by the call centre to respond with a human. Some of the callers said they were prepared to ignore communications from eFlow.

However, Seán O’Neill, spokesman for eFlow and its parent the National Roads Authority, apologised for the call-centre delays. He said barrier-free transactions were in the order of one million since the introduction of the scheme and staffing levels were being addressed “as we speak”.

He said barrier-free tolling would contribute to the improvement of the national economy, but he acknowledged teething troubles.

Mr O’Neill asked customers to be patient and not to ignore demands from eFlow as their credit rating could be jeopardised.