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Card payment on Severn Bridge tolls ‘by end of year’

11:30am Thursday 28th January 2010 in Gwent news Photograph of the Author By Ailsa Chalk

DRIVERS using the Severn bridges will be able to pay tolls by credit and debit cards by the end of the year, Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones said yesterday.

Politicians have campaigned for the technology to be introduced to allow card payments on both the M48 Severn Bridge and the M4 Second Severn Crossing over the past few years.

Motorists entering Wales must currently pay £5.50 for cars and £16.40 for lorries in cash.

A working group, involving the Highways Agency, Assembly and Severn River Crossing PLC was set up in October 2007 to look at the feasibility of accepting credit and debit cards.

The group reported back to the Highways Agency to say it could be done “in principle” and work is now being carried out to decide on the practicalities.

Mr Jones told AMs in the Senedd yesterday that the situation was likely to be resolved later this year.

He said the cost of installing the new payment system was a matter for the UK Government and the company operating the bridges, Severn River Crossing PLC.

Mr Jones said: “I think you're aware that credit and debit cards are likely to be used on the bridges in the latter part of the year.

"I think it's an excellent innovation. The costing arrangements of course is a matter for the concessionaire and other organisations involved.”

South Wales East AM Mike German, who raised the issue in the Assembly, said he asked Mr Jones for a more specific date of when the system would be introduced, but the minister could not be more precise than “later this year.”

Mr German expressed concern that motorists would be left to pay the bank charges for processing the payments.

Comments(37)

Doug-P says...
11:36am Thu 28 Jan 10

How about they just either stop charging us to get back into our own country, or if they insist that its for maintenance of the bridge then lower the charge to a couple of pounds. Pocket change, so that people are never caught out when they reach the bridge and find they have to pay £5.50 min to just drive on a road that they already pay road tax to use.

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Owain Vaughan says...
11:58am Thu 28 Jan 10

Nationalist rhetoric doesn't help matters. We need a rational debate on the level of tolling that doesn't descend to resentment of paying "to get back into our own country".

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devonplace says...
12:03pm Thu 28 Jan 10

The Tolls need to be scrapped, just like they have done on other bridges.

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Owain Vaughan says...
12:08pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Who's going to pay for the maintenance? Higher general taxation? Would you be happy if you were a non-motorist?

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Doug-P says...
12:16pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Maintenance shouldn't be a problem If the charge was resonable around £1-2, Times that by the amount of people that use the bridge everyday that would easily be covered without dipping into the tax pot. It just seems to be going up every year, before you know it the cost will be min £10 but its all ok as we can pay on our debit or credit cards. On top of the road TAX we already pay.

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Owain Vaughan says...
12:19pm Thu 28 Jan 10

You can't throw around phrases like "would easily be covered" without any FIGURES. What is the AADT for both bridges? What is the annual maintenance bill?

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Doug-P says...
12:34pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Apparently on average the old wye bridge was carrying 50,000 vehicles a day. The new bridge carries if not the same then certainly see it being any less, so i figure charge £2 for any type of vehicle not bad earnings for just one day. Not sure on the cost of maintenance, but am sure they could tender for a maintenance contract within a months earnings easily.

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Laconic says...
12:42pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Who actually owns the Severn Bridge? And how much profit is it making? Who is it accountable to?

I bet it's another European company, like the energy companies ripping off the UK because it doesn't have the gumption to stand up for itself.

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Doug-P says...
12:43pm Thu 28 Jan 10

sorry meant:

"The new bridge carries if not the same then certainly more"

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Skitch it! says...
1:00pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Motorists entering Wales must currently pay £5.50 for cars and £16.40 for lorries in cash..........these prices are in no way justifiable for maintenance, does a car or lorry constitute these fees in damage everytime they cross? This is just about profit and exploitation....... always the bucks!

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Owain Vaughan says...
1:05pm Thu 28 Jan 10

You simply cannot make such decisions on what would be a valid toll level without having the facts. I suggest you determine what the maintenance costs are before coming up with any more bogus "solutions".

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Doug-P says...
1:19pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Owain Vaughan are you happy to pay min£5.50 everytime you use the bridge?

Its not a decision its a suggestion and my opinion, I don't work for the company so wouldn't know the appropriate facts and figures. I do know that i am a hard working individual who happily pays my road tax and just isn't happy with how they can charge such rates to cross one road.

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lostinspace says...
1:25pm Thu 28 Jan 10

They charge those rates after costing the maintenance costs, the overheads and the profit. Until they get a subsidy from the government then £5.50 is probably a realistic amount

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Doug-P says...
1:36pm Thu 28 Jan 10

I bet its the higher percentage of the £5.50 or £16.40 thats the profit margin though. Pointless mentioning the goverment and funding. We'll just have to carry on as normal and accept it.

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westsi1983 says...
1:39pm Thu 28 Jan 10

The toll comes from the fact that the Severn Bridges are being paid back. The project was akin to the SDR, difference being who pays the toll. On the SDR Newport City Council pay the toll for each vehicle and on the Severn Bridges the motorist pays. This is decided by a contract, so whilst it is all well and good for us to scream about it, the contract was agreed before construction began, and if the government was to renege, i.e. demand lifting of tolls, then they would have to pay the money that the Severn Bridges Plc would have earned during the remaining years of the contract. Ultimately the money comes out of our pockets either way!!

There is also no escaping that the Old bridge is currently costing upwards of £10M annually in its maintenance due to the corrosion found in its cables.

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lostinspace says...
1:43pm Thu 28 Jan 10

In 2008, the last accounts available, Severn River Crossing plc made an operating profit of £1.7million on turnover of £77.6 million. This represents 2.2% profit. After special taxation measures it reported a loss of £4.2million

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Doug-P says...
1:45pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Why don't they close the old bridge and lower the costs then. There is no need for two of them now, just a suggestion. May create extra traffic on the new one but thats what maintenance is for surely.

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Owain Vaughan says...
1:47pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Doug-P doesn't work for the company so wouldn't know the appropriate facts and figures yet at 12:16 made a categorical statement that a toll of around £1-2 would easily cover the costs. Combined with his earlier nationalist rhetoric it's easy to see why a sensible debate cannot be had.

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lostinspace says...
1:47pm Thu 28 Jan 10

I am sure you wouldn't be happy if you lived in Chepstow!

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Skitch it! says...
1:52pm Thu 28 Jan 10

I have no trust in the Governments accounting, published statistics or contractual undertakings at all! It's recently become very evident where their concerns lie, in claiming expenses!

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lostinspace says...
1:57pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Its not government accounting....its a private company hence the term plc

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Owain Vaughan says...
2:05pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Strictly speaking plc stands for PUBLIC Limited Company, but your point remains valid. If you were a shareholder you could ask to see the accounts.

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Skitch it! says...
2:13pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Whichever, they obviously share the same bed as far as accounts and profiteering are concerned, the government is it's very own PLC.

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lostinspace says...
2:14pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Owain you are of course correct, my earlier post of the account figures was by the benefit of Google.

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lostinspace says...
2:16pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Skitch it I hardly think 2.2% profit can be classed as profiteering !

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Skitch it! says...
2:22pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Only if you believe that figure.

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diandai says...
2:32pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Doug-P wrote:
How about they just either stop charging us to get back into our own country, or if they insist that its for maintenance of the bridge then lower the charge to a couple of pounds. Pocket change, so that people are never caught out when they reach the bridge and find they have to pay £5.50 min to just drive on a road that they already pay road tax to use.
To be fair why not halve the toll charge and make it a toll both ways then then English people who come to Wales would have to pay to return home as well.

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Radio Wales says...
2:37pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Nice argument going here - but the point is paying by card.
It is well overdue as the toll is no longer 'pocket' money sums. It's a simple affair too to take cards, so I imagine the delay has been all about how much they can raise tolls to cover the slice of pie the card companies will be taking out.
The reality is, everyone is in it for a profit and the only ones that pay - one way or another - are us, the users.

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Owain Vaughan says...
2:42pm Thu 28 Jan 10

No more nationalist rhetoric! It adds nothing to the debate. This is not about the position of the tolls given than anyone using the bridge will need to use it in both directions anyway.

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Skitch it! says...
2:42pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Radio Wales wrote:
Nice argument going here - but the point is paying by card.
It is well overdue as the toll is no longer 'pocket' money sums. It's a simple affair too to take cards, so I imagine the delay has been all about how much they can raise tolls to cover the slice of pie the card companies will be taking out.
The reality is, everyone is in it for a profit and the only ones that pay - one way or another - are us, the users.
Correctomondo.

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Doug-P says...
3:53pm Thu 28 Jan 10

Sorry but i'm too cynical to believe facts and figures about a company found on google. As its a private company then they are in it for a profit otherwise what would be the point in owning it. I agree with radio wales

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welsh + crazy says...
12:07am Fri 29 Jan 10

Paying by card ? , Put a extra mile on the queue then.

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Gareth says...
12:48am Fri 29 Jan 10

It was a privately built bridge.
It needs to be paid for.
It needs to be maintained.
The fairest way is to charge those who use it.
...and yes, shock horror, take a little profit from it.
If you don't want to pay for the convenience of it, then you don't have to use it.
There's no gun to your head.
And there's plenty of free routes into Wales.
It's not difficult.

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Skitch it! says...
4:08pm Fri 29 Jan 10

Made a profit selling it, making a profit while we're using it and soon selling burgers, sticks of rock and a guide on the end bit without the lane markings from the pay kiosk, forget going around Gloucestershire, everyone knows they still burn wicker men up there and there's a good chance you may never be seen again, give me some goose fat or a canoe any day!

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Gareth says...
12:15am Sat 30 Jan 10

Skitch it! wrote:
Made a profit selling it, making a profit while we're using it and soon selling burgers, sticks of rock and a guide on the end bit without the lane markings from the pay kiosk, forget going around Gloucestershire, everyone knows they still burn wicker men up there and there's a good chance you may never be seen again, give me some goose fat or a canoe any day!
Brilliant. That made me laugh. Nice one Skitch it.

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nolongergullible says...
12:22pm Sun 31 Jan 10

welsh + crazy wrote:
Paying by card ? , Put a extra mile on the queue then.
The French have used cards for tolls for many years and it takes less time than giving change. Why do the WAG have to have a working party? Just ask the French, who I thought owned the bridges anyway.

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Skitch it! says...
4:39pm Sun 31 Jan 10

Gareth wrote:
Skitch it! wrote:
Made a profit selling it, making a profit while we're using it and soon selling burgers, sticks of rock and a guide on the end bit without the lane markings from the pay kiosk, forget going around Gloucestershire, everyone knows they still burn wicker men up there and there's a good chance you may never be seen again, give me some goose fat or a canoe any day!
Brilliant. That made me laugh. Nice one Skitch it.
Just trying to lighten the load up a bit, anyway, it's all just water under the.....Doh! ; )

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