Cashless road tolls: A step in the right direction
The announcement by the government to fully digitise the road tolls when it is reintroduced must be welcome news to drivers and other road users.
Addressing participants during the 9th Ghana CEO Summit in Accra last Monday, President John Dramani Mahama pointed out that the plans to reintroduce road tolls in the country in a digital form would do away with physical tollbooths and manual collection.
He said vehicle owners and drivers would now be billed automatically via their mobile money wallets or bank accounts, using data linked to their Ghana Card.
It is refreshing to note that every vehicle has already been linked up to its owner’s Ghana Card to fast-track billing and help make the system better. Another feature under the new system is that cameras capture the information of vehicles and tolls are deducted directly from the mobile money or bank accounts of owners.
The Daily Graphic is happy that under the new arrangement, there will be no manual payments which could lead to unnecessary delays.
The plan has been designed to avoid inconveniencing commuters while making use of existing national identification and financial platforms.
A straightforward billing will make it more convenient for drivers who do not have to stop at tollbooths.
The new system will not only help reduce leakages in revenue mobilisation but will also improve compliance regarding the collection of tolls.
Under the Public Private Partnership Act, 2022 (Act 1039), it is envisaged that the move would help leverage advanced technology to enhance efficiency and transparency in revenue generation.
The challenge with the new plan, however, is that some drivers might not have access to mobile money or bank accounts to make payments easily.
There is, therefore, the need to find alternative means to get them to pay their tolls. Besides, the protection of the data of individuals should not be taken for granted in the face of cybersecurity fraud while steps are taken to address technical issues to ensure seamless toll collection.
Before they were abolished in 2022, road tolls contributed approximately GH¢78 million annually to the Ghana Road Fund, which is used for both routine and periodic maintenance as well as rehabilitation of roads.
Road tolls were introduced in the early 1990s to generate revenue and serve as a key source of funding for road infrastructure development and maintain the country’s road network.
These revenues are used to build new roads and bridges for the benefit of the citizenry.
Efficient road networks are therefore critical for the socio-economic development of the country.
Unfortunately, the collection of road tolls faced numerous challenges, leading to its abolition.
These included low revenue yields, high operational costs, corruption and traffic congestion.
There was a high economic cost to the country’s productive workforce due to the waste of time in long queues at the manual tollbooths.
Manual record-keeping of proceeds from the tollbooths also created loopholes for corruption-related activities.
The Daily Graphic thinks that the modernised approach to toll collection is critical for the elimination of long queues, enhancement of revenue by blocking leakages and improved funding for road infrastructure.
The country must learn from global best practices and standards to ensure a digitised toll system that promotes transparency, accountability and ensures the free flow of traffic.
Experts are of the view that the best approach to ensure the desired outcome would be to incorporate the toll into the cost of roadworthy certificate registration and renewal for vehicles registered in Ghana, while foreign-registered vehicles entering Ghana through the various borders are levied.
The Daily Graphic urges the government to consider all available options for the country to reap maximum benefits from the reintroduction of the road tolls.
A nationwide campaign to educate road users on the benefits and usage of the new tolling system will be necessary to achieve the overall objective of the new initiative.
Besides, effective monitoring and evaluation of the implementation and the performance of the system would ensure its sustenance.
The Daily Graphic is of the view that the step taken by the government to introduce cashless road tolls is a step in the right direction to modernise the transportation infrastructure and rake in more revenue for the development of the country.
