Dartford crossing discounts to end
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/ Hauliers who use the Dartford River Crossing regularly face a 10% hike in toll costs when an electronic billing system starts next month.
The Freight Transport Association is opposing the increases, which will arise because books of 50 and 100 pre-paid tickets, giving operators 10% discounts, will be scrapped in favour of electronic tags fitted to truck windscreens.
As CMwent to press the FTA was meeting with the crossing's operator in a bid to persuade it to retain discounts for the 37,000 commercial vehicles which use the Thurrock/Dartford link every day.
It also opposes plans to direct debit hauliers' bank accounts for the amount they predict will cover toll needs for the following month. The FTA would prefer to see regular users having the choice of being billed in arrears or earning discounts by paying in advance.
The Dartford River Crossing company says it wants to judge the effectiveness of the system before considering nay changes. It has already attracted more than 1,000 truck operators and motorists to its DART-Tag scheme, which is aimed at vehicles making three or more return journeys through Dartford a week. It says discounts are being dropped because of the cost of installing the tagging system, which is designed to speed up traffic flow. The tags cost t 25 apiece.
"We are trying to offer the best possible service, which is not always translated into toll discounts," says DRC's operations manager Alan Hobson,