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Increase toll price and make collection electronic - Kofi Bentil to govt after reintroduction hint
Increase toll price and make collection electronic - Kofi Bentil to govt after reintroduction hint
By: Abigail | 1 min read
Vice President of IMANI Ghana, Kofi Bentil, has suggested raising toll prices following the government's plan to bring back road tolls.
Prior to their removal in November 2021 by the previous government, vehicles were charged between GHS1.00 and GHS2.00 per toll booth, with larger vehicles like trucks and buses paying more.
Bentil’s comments came after Finance Minister-Designate Ato Forson revealed plans to reintroduce tolls after the scrapping of the e-levy.
He pointed out that the toll booth system is an inefficient and costly way to collect revenue, as it causes delays due to long queues of vehicles waiting to pay..
In a Facebook post on January 14, he wrote, “It doesn’t make sense to waste time and stress for an hour just to pay GH¢1. As usual, we will be penny wise and pound foolish,” emphasizing the disproportionate costs associated with maintaining toll booths.
Bentil further suggested increasing the toll rate and implementing a modern, electronic toll collection system. “Increase it and make it electronic. No one queues then, or?” he proposed.
He also recommended two alternative solutions: “There are two ways – collect them as part of licensing fees or use electronic systems so there is no stopping.”
The government has not yet provided a date for when toll booths will be reintroduced or shared the new toll rates. More information is expected to be included in the 2025 budget statement.
