Tien Giang Province’s Department of Transport on August 14 proposed the Ministry of Transport cut toll fees at the controversial Cai Lay BOT (build-operate-transfer) toll station in an apparent move to ease objections by drivers.

A driver pays the toll fee by using small change at Cai Lay BOT toll station in protest against what he claims is an unreasonable fee collection 

Speaking at a meeting on problems at BOT toll stations nationwide in Tien Giang Province on August 14, Tran Van Bon, director of the department, said a number of drivers have objected to the operation of this toll station.

Such drivers have been using small change to pay the fee to vent their anger, causing severe traffic congestion either side of the tollgate on National Highway 1. Drivers said the station’s location is unreasonable and the fees are too high, at between VND35,000 and VND180,000 a vehicle each time.

According to Bon, the BOT tollgate on National Highway 1 in Cai Lay Town, Tien Giang Province has been put into service since August 1, 2018 following the completion of a project to give facelift to a section on the highway. The upgraded section, Bon said, has helped reduce traffic congestion on the highway, especially at the Cai Lay intersection.

Therefore, Bon asked the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam to suggest the Ministry of Transport cut fees at this station to reduce transport costs for road users.

Nguyen Manh Thang, deputy general director of the directorate, said the Tien Giang Department of Transport’s suggestion is reasonable and his agency will ask the Ministry of Transport for solutions.

Speaking to the Daily on Sunday, a driver who protested against the Cai Lay BOT toll station said the station is meant to collect tolls from vehicles using the 12-km road that bypasses Cai Lay town, but it is located on National Highway 1, meaning that even vehicles not using the bypass also have to pay tolls.

Besides, some drivers said they have paid road maintenance fees which should be used for maintenance of infrastructure works such as National Highway 1, so collecting tolls on the highway is unreasonable.

However, Thang from the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam said the Cai Lay toll station is aimed to not only collect tolls for the 12-km bypass but also for the upgrade of an over-26-kilometer section of National Highway 1.

According to Thang, road maintenance fees paid by road users can only meet 50% of the maintenance costs for the country’s road system with a total length of 24,000 kilometers.

The upgrade of the highway section is only funded VND5-10 billion or a maximum VND20-30 billion from the Road Maintenance Fund, but the project to upgrade this 26-kilometer section of the highway required over VND300 billion. Therefore, the Government allowed a private investor to invest in the project and build the toll station to recover the costs.

Thang said, however, the toll levels should be calculated to ensure the investor’s interests on one hand and serve the people and social order on the other. 

On August 13, many drivers used small change when going through Cai Lay toll station, leading to severe congestion. The investor had to let them go without collecting tolls to address traffic congestion.

SGT