The SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) is digging a hole for itself by misleading the very people it needs on its side if government's e-toll project is to succeed.
This is according to anti-toll factions, who have spoken out about discrepancies in e-tag sales figures presented by Sanral and transport minister Dipuo Peters, and which Sanral has yet to explain.
In a plenary session in the National Assembly on Wednesday, Peters divulged official e-toll registration numbers, which are inconsistent with the "1.2 million registered Gauteng motorists" recently trumpeted by Sanral.
Democratic Alliance (DA) shadow minister of transport Ian Ollis posed the question: "How many individual cars travelling on the Gauteng e-toll road system, as measured by gantries, are using e-tags - and what percentage of the total number of cars on Gauteng's freeways (constructed as part of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project) did that represent as per 1 February 2014?"
According to the minister, 912 048 vehicles were registered for e-tolls as at 1 February. Sanral says 1.2 million e-tags had been taken up by 23 February. This would mean 287 952 motorists would have had to purchase e-tags and register for e-tolls in a period of about 23 days (about 12 500 registrations per day, every day) - a feat Ollis says is not possible, given the sheer volume in relation to Sanral's capacity.
"It's insanity - it just cannot be true."
Corroborating research
In terms of the percentage given by Peters, Ollis points out this corresponds with research carried out by the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) in early February, which found 71% of vehicles passing under the gantries did not have e-tags fitted.
Peters told Parliament: "[Bearing in mind that] not all registered vehicles use the [e-road] network daily. Use of the network by registered vehicles varies from 23% to 28.6%, as at 1 February."
In a statement yesterday, Outa spokesperson John Clarke thanked the minister for what he said was confirmation of Outa's research as being credible and accurate. "[This] in effect exposes Sanral's misleading information and behaviour."
Sanral has repeatedly snubbed Outa's research on the basis of it being based on unsound methodology. Sanral spokesperson Vusi Mona said on Sunday: "We don't know who conducts [Outa's] research or sampling and how credible their study is. Our figures, which like any aspect of our business, we report to Parliament such as we did last week, are not based on sampling, but on counting actual registered users. Also, ours are subject to being audited by the auditor-general. We don't know who audits Outa's."
E-tag distribution
On Wednesday, Peters gave the breakdown of e-tag registrations as follows:
* Local authorities: 19 123 (2%)
* Provincial authorities: 33 283 (4%)
* National departments: 7 601 (1%)
* Corporate vehicles: 383 654 (42%)
* Private individuals: 468 388 (51%)
Outa chairman Wayne Duvenage says the alliance is also aware that many of the above vehicles are not using the Gauteng freeways. "Thousands of these are fleet units, car rental and government vehicles, which reside in other parts of the country and do not traverse the Gauteng freeways on a regular basis.
"Thus, while Sanral may claim to have dished out more e-tags than are being used, the fact of the matter is that an average of around 624 000 vehicles (less than one in three) are driving on Gauteng freeways with e-tags."
Ollis notes that any answer given by a minister in Parliament is government's binding answer and can be taken as an official response.
Precarious place
Ollis says the fact that Sanral's level of compliance is currently sitting at around 23% - three months after e-tolling went live in Gauteng and over two years since the issue became a public concern - does not bode well for the success of the system.
"Sanral said in its court papers last year that they need a 93% compliance level to make [e-tolling] effective."
The DA pointed out that a number of international electronic tolling systems had failed or gone bankrupt, either because the respective countries have boycotted them - or because there is not enough money to keep the systems running.
"There are plenty examples, including among others Australia, India, Edinburgh, Portugal and California. The list is long."
Anton Alberts, FF Plus Parliamentary spokesperson on transport, says the ongoing non-compliance and resistance to e-tolls cannot but lead to the system folding.
Sanral will have to get e-toll fees out of people should they wish to sustain the system, says Alberts. "But if they arrest people, they will just make martyrs out of them and resistance will increase. I am not sure where this is heading, but it's obvious from what we have seen so far that it's going to fold."
Sanral has not responded to requests for clarification around its e-toll registration numbers in light of Peters' disclosure to Parliament this week.
Deceptive advertising
Meanwhile, a consumer that took Sanral to task over a live read for its e-toll system last month has succeeded in having the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) order Sanral to withdraw a deceptive commercial.
The voice-over in Sanral's ad told the listener that money recouped from e-tolls is used as follows: "... for every one rand, 83c goes directly to maintain, patrol, light and improve the roads and to repayment of loans, with only 17c going to cost of collection ...".
It adds that money collected via this system may only be spent on toll roads, and ends with the payoff line: "E-toll ? the better way to go."
The complainant called the ad "misleading and condemnable" and cited an affidavit submitted by Sanral during the Outa court challenge last year. According to the affidavit, only 58c from every R1 would be available to maintain the roads. "This is in stark contradiction with the 83c claimed, and nullifies the reference to 17c going to cost of collection," the ASA explains.
Sanral submitted that the figure of 17c as quoted is for a compliant user that pays toll fees within the seven-day grace period. "The complainant used the example of an alternative user who pays the alternative user tariff which is three times higher than the standard tariff."
The ASA ordered Sanral to withdraw the ad, and never to air it again.
"The commercial was part of a campaign to respond to specific perceptions raised in the media and will no longer be aired," says Sanral.
* To watch the said plenary session in which e-toll registrations were discussed, click here. The minister addresses the question of e-tag numbers at about 1h:09m:40s of the YouTube video.
Share