[Abhiram]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

This happens @ NICE road toll as well. NICE road entry(EC)-BG road toll is Rs.33 and these guys used to give 1 rupee or two rupees short(not always though). This happens especially when they give back the balance in 1 rupee coins. Now I make sure that I am giving the exact change or I count the balance before moving on. And I have faced this issue at the NICE road entry toll only.

I have send a mail to NHAI on this but didn't get any response.

Couple of other things:

1. Link road to ecity is 45 rupees where as ecity to link road is 46 for bikes (Both 115 for car).
2. Candies seem to have replaced change. Believe it or not, i paid 120 at ECity toll and was given 5 coffee bites!!! The toll is always vrry busy with 6-8 cars behind me. So i moved on without arguments. Made a mental note to always tender exact change.

[honeybee]

I once got five tenners and a rupee back for a toll of Rs 9 when I tendered a 50 rupee note.

Sadly even though I tried the trick many times again, it didn't work.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

The toll amount is 95. No matter you pass a Rs 100 or 500 or 1000 denomination note, you will be asked for Rs.5 change. If you decline, you get the printed toll receipt as usual along with a set of coins.

The NH, that I take to commute from home to work and back has a toll booth which I pass twice, everyday, from the past 4 years.

Though I have got a monthly pass recently (8 months back) the rest period I used to travel paying the amount prescribed.

The toll for 1 way is Rs 24 and multiple is Rs 33.

-- If I take one way and give the attendant Rs 25, I get only the toll slip with an excuse "Re 1 not there. Sorry Saar."

-- If I take a multiple pass and give the attendant Rs 35, I get the toll slip with two Éclairs chocolate sometimes only one chocolate. Reason "Re 1 not there. Sorry Saar".

I did tolerate this non-sense for two days but then on I tender the exact change avoiding the hassles (argument and the chocolate collection I'd get)! Never understood /realised this scam all these days.

What a money making technique!!

Originally Posted by paragsachania

I am sure I am writing this with the picture of the toll receipt to NHAI and as well posting this on their FB Page to seek answers.

The post and email is going to fall into blind eyes and deaf ears IMO. They won't be bother like other institutions.

Hope you get some acknowledgement and reply on this. Sad state of affairs.

Originally Posted by sukhoi30

1. What happens if we don't pay toll and drive off. Especially where there is no barrier.

Nothing happens. It is the loss of the toll booth operator, losing the money he had to get.

Originally Posted by sukhoi30

2. Is there a law under which we can be arrested or prosecuted?

'Law' for toll payment!

There is no proper law for serious issues in India (Road safety etc) what law would be drafted for skipping of toll payment!

Originally Posted by sukhoi30

3. If so, who has the authority to arrest us? The toll officials, police or traffic police?

Unless you are stopped after the toll both by the operator / police for asking the payment, IMO nothing can be done.

Originally Posted by sukhoi30

4. What is the proof that the toll is not paid? Well, all toll booths don't have CCTV (I maybe wrong).

There may not be a CCTV unit dedicated outside the cabin but most of them do posses a basic cam inside the cabin to keep a check on the cash movement as well as the drivers who cross it.

Originally Posted by sukhoi30

5. So, if we don't pay then what is the fine? Or what will the court fine us?

Lol! If you are caught then pay the toll fees + chai pani (hope you get what I mean).

Originally Posted by sukhoi30

I am asking this because the other day, I happened to come through the Vashi toll in TabCab taxi. The Taxi driver didn't have a pass or sticker, but he simply drove through. The toll boy didn't say anything.

I see two cases in this situation:

1) The taxi guy skipped payment and drove off purposefully.

2) Since these Taxi guys are regular runners they do take a monthly pass for toll booth. Also the taxi fella gets regular with the attendants so they generally don't check the pass of such drivers as long as he is genuine in renewing the pass.

Once the cab driver gets familiar, the attendants don't check for the ticket/pass.

[JVille07]

This has happened to me twice in Chennai Airport toll booth (they will give 10. Rs less, one note will be intentionally missing ). I thought it was a mistake by the operator. But second time I stopped the car and went back but she was not agreeing, I insisted to call the supervisor and he too was reluctant to give the money back or accept the mistake. Later we met their manager and complained and he gave the money back. All the drama sounds like a planned one.

[honeybee]

I think the Tabbies have a pass system because one when I asked about it the Tabbie said TabCab taxis were allowed. Maybe the company has an arrangement with MEPL.

I have yet to hear of a case where someone was prosecuted for not paying toll.

[kaushal21fb]

I would like to specially mention here most of the tolls in UP. They're managed by goons willing to do anything to extract quick cash from you. It really becomes scary at night.

It happened with me while returning from a Trip from Almora, on the toll right after Hapur Bypass. The toll booth is at an annoying unreachable (for cars) height from the vehicle and there are goons standing down collecting money from the cars. This guy asked for 30 bucks and literally stuck his hand inside the car and took cash from my hand. When I asked for a receipt he started shouting and asked me to get the hell out. When I insisted everybody on the toll started shouting. It was about 9:00 PM and I was with family. For our own safety sake I had to move on.

The government takes a road development charge on fuel. I don't understand the need for these tolls especially when they're becoming a center for corruption and harassment for motorists.

Not sure where can I complain (local police might be hand in glove) and report the situation.

[MSC]

This under charging at toll booths is definitely a scam and it happens at almost every toll booth . Just give a small discount to car owner and car owners too will most of the times try to get away.
But this type short changing is done mostly for cars on single side trips. If you get a to and fro ticket,the booth guy has no option but to give the slip and change as well .

[ameyawaghmare]

For all those tollways where the automatic boom barrier does not work plus another person stands on the road for collection, I have a feeling these are the problematic ones.

There is every way that they would allow someone as the boom barrier is not in place. I recently came across one such toll plaza on the Nashik - Pune highway (Moshi toll). this toll is a genuine one as per the NHAI's website giving information about all tolls collected by NHAI.

Back in 2008, I remember that Pune - Aurangabad route was under 4-laning with a total of 6 toll plazas. It was later understood that only 2 of them were legal. Needless to say, goons were a regular along these tolls.

[Dieseldunk]

I was given chocolates and biscuits at nearly 3 tolls on my way to blr from chennai whilst returning I returned rhe favor to all toll guys and had no problems for coin shortage.

[girimajiananth]

Originally Posted by Abhiram

2. Candies seem to have replaced change. Believe it or not, i paid 120 at ECity toll and was given 5 coffee bites!!!.

I used to travel from BG road to Ecity on my bike for a month almost , yes chocolates were handed over to me instead of change. I used to collect these chocolates and trade it at the toll gate for change. I paid 15 rs in the morning, I got 2 chocolates . On my way back in the evening , I paid 11 Rs + 2 chocolates what I received in morning. The toll booth operator accepted it without arguing.

I am planning to buy these chocolates in wholesale rate and pay it at nice road toll. It will work out cheaper.

[Sheel]

As per Honorable Supreme Court, tolls should not be charged from vehicle [private] if registered in the same city as the toll. Has this been implemented?

There has been a toll operator change at one of the tolls and the new guys [after some earful] let me pass compared to earlier honk/flash.

[Abhiram]

Originally Posted by Sheel

As per Honorable Supreme Court, tolls should not be charged from vehicle [private] if registered in the same city as the toll. Has this been implemented?

Isn't this only for SH and NH? Would this apply for other roads such as NICE and BETL in Bangalore?

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by Abhiram

Isn't this only for SH and NH? Would this apply for other roads such as NICE and BETL in Bangalore?

I was asking for NH/SH only

But of course, lots of folks would be interested to know otherwise as well. NICE/BETL & maybe for Worli sea-link as well.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Abhiram

Isn't this only for SH and NH? Would this apply for other roads such as NICE and BETL in Bangalore?

Originally Posted by Sheel

I was asking for NH/SH only

But of course, lots of folks would be interested to know otherwise as well. NICE/BETL & maybe for Worli sea-link as well.

BETL - Bangalore Elevated Tollway Limited - Primarily built to reduce the travel time between Silkboard and Electronics City and make lives of techies easier.

NBTL - Navayuga-Bangalore Tollway Limited - Made to decongest one of the most dense entries for Bangalore (From Bangalore and Mumbai/Pune).

Unfortunately, both of these are more often used by commuters from the City itself to travel around. The freight traffic on both these tollways is very lean most of the times if one discounts private buses mostly at night.

On NH4, the trucks either head to NICE or take the road below (Post 10PM is when they enter anyway). On Hosur Road, they seldom take the BETL even if its part midnight.

These tolls have a validity only till 12 midnight for the same calendar day you bought the toll. So it will be a dream if cars will be exempted here. In fact, even the Airport tollway is built mainly for faster commute times to the Airport.

Now talking about NICE. It is a Private Road and doesn't fall under NHAI. In fact, NHAI doesn't even list this as part of the Toll Plaza network that they have.

Again, you have return (Daily pass) system for BETL, NBTL or KIAL Expressway but not the case for NICE.

With source for toll for BETL and KIAL mainly for private cars and NICE being a private road, I have no hopes that these roads will get exempted.

[carboy]

Pune has 2 tolls in the military areas - one near Khadki and another near the Prince of Wales drive. Both have tolls only for commercial/tourist vehicles. Since the toll doesn't exist for majority of the vehicles, the toll both is small and not easily visible. And typically drivers do not see the board for the tolls also. So they let you cross the toll area and then come behind you on a motorcycle and make you pay a 200 Rs fine. Almost every new taxi driver coming into Pune from Bombay gets screwed by the fines.

Is there any way to complain about this or improve so that the taxi drivers aren't unnecessarily penalised for this. Almost no one is trying to avoid the toll. It's just that they don't know about this and they end up paying the fine.