Abu Dhabi tolls: Who are exempted from fines?

Abu Dhabi - While motorists are urged to register to avoid fines, some will be exempted from the charges.

On January 1, a day before Abu Dhabi’s toll gates are activated, around 200,000 road users have already activated their DARB accounts, in preparation for the system’s implementation tomorrow, January 2. Some 185,000 of them are individual vehicles and 15,000 are registered as companies or institutions.

While motorists are urged to register to avoid fines, some will be exempted from the charges.

The Integrated Traffic Centre (ITC) of the Department of Municipalities and Transport in Abu Dhabi has approved more than 8,000 requests for exemption from eligible categories, including senior citizens aged 60 and above; retired citizens; people of determination; and citizens with limited income.

The exemption will be limited to one vehicle only. However, the exempted categories need to visit the Darb website, register in the system, and apply for exemption requests by specifying the type of exemption and attaching the necessary documents.

Those who are not part these categories will have to register through the DARB Toll system’s website https://darb.itc.gov.ae or the smart application, DARB (App Store/Google Play/App Gallery).

The registration fee for a DARB account is Dh100 per vehicle, of which Dh50 will be credited as a balance in the registered account.

The Dh4 toll will be collected at the gates located on four main bridges: Sheikh Zayed Bridge, the Sheikh Khalifa Bridge, Al Maqta Bridge and Musaffah Bridge. Tolls shall be collected from Saturday to Thursday only during the peak hours — 7am to 9am and 5pm to 7pm. There will be no tariff on Fridays and public holidays.

The maximum daily tolls for a vehicle will be Dh16, with a complete exemption during off-peak times, Fridays and public holidays.

Those with multiple vehicles, the monthly toll cap for each car depends on how they are listed in the system, with a maximum of Dh200 for the first vehicle, Dh150 for the second vehicle, and Dh100 for each additional vehicle. In case one of the individual vehicles is exempted, the monthly limit will be applied to the remaining vehicles. For corporate vehicles, only approved tolls will be applied, without applying the daily or monthly toll cap.

ashwani@khaleejtimes.com