Chingeni tollgate remains on hold

Roads Fund Administration (RFA) has said it would open the Chingeni Toll Plaza once consultations on operations of the facility, including fees structures, are concluded.

The toll gate was supposed to be operational from October 1 but RFA Board Chairperson Mathews Chikankheni said the facility will not be opened until all the consultations are done.

“We do not want to rush to open it when there are still other issues to resolve,” he said.

Chikankheni said RFA is, among others things, talking to stakeholders like Road Transport Operators Association on tariffs.

“This is new. It is the first time we have a tollgate in Malawi and some people feel the fees are too high. We also have to understand movement of the vehicles at the gate and other questions like whether a ticket at one tollgate will cover other subsequent tollgates for the same trip,” he said.

Commencement date for the operations of the toll plaza was shifted from September 1 to the October 1.

Earlier, a proposed fees structure which was making rounds on the social media showed that light vehicle owners were to be paying K1,700 while minibus operators were to be parting ways with K3,400, with trucks that carry abnormal loads paying K20,000 for a one-way trip.

Also, 17 to 31-seater buses and 2 to 5-tonne trucks were to be paying K5,100 while drivers of vehicles weighing between 5 and 10 tonnes would be coughing K7,000, with K8,000 being applicable to trucks weighing more than 10 tonnes.

In terms of infrastructure, Chikankheni said they are almost complete and that they are testing ICT systems.

SOURCE: THE TIMES GROUP