Toll gates went live in Abu Dhabi from Thursday. But there is a big relief for those who still face issues with registration into the Toll Gates Traffic System. The Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) and Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) has announced a three-month grace period.

“Don’t worry! No penalty fares will apply today – the System gives you a three-month grace period. All you need to do is register your vehicle on time and make sure there’s enough balance in your account,” the latest directive said.

Motorists from Dubai were in limbo as they have experienced problems in registering their vehicles for the Abu Dhabi toll gate system. The toll gates came into operation last year, but toll charges came into effect only from Thursday.

“I am not able to reach the Integrated Transport Centre customer service. I have created an online account for toll gates and paid Dh300 to register my three cars but the payment is not reflected on the account and it kept asking me to pay again. Who can help me with this?,” Dubai resident Mahmoud Hanafy asked Khaleej Times.

Another Khaleej Times said: “We attempted to register our Dubai vehicles but the website said that the registration system is under process.”

“I’m really disappointed as we’re unable to add our Dubai vehicle to Abu Dhabi toll gate system. We asked the Department of Transport to resolve the issue but a customer service agent said other vehicle owners are facing the same issue. And not it seems, the only option is not to use our cars to avoid the fine until the problem is resolved.

The Integrated Transport Centre of Abu Dhabi last week clarified that unregistered vehicles will not be fined if they pass through the toll gates during non-peak hours.

In December 2019, the department announced that a toll of Dh4 will be charged only during peak hours of 7am to 9am, and 5pm to 7pm, and vehicles passing through the gates during any other time of the day won’t have to pay tolls. Prior to that, it had been announced that a toll of Dh2 would be charged during non-peak hours.

According to Arabic media reports, the department has said that vehicles that haven’t registered for the toll system won’t be fined for passing through the toll gates during off-peak hours. All vehicles passing through the toll gates during peak hours have to be mandatorily registered on the ITC website. Registration costs Dh100, of which Dh50 is transferred back to the motorist’s account for toll charges.

So if you live in any other emirate apart from Abu Dhabi and are unable to register your vehicle for the toll, it’s best you avoid passing through the gates during peak hours.