Freeway bureau to ease toll rates for Mid-Autumn Festival period

TAIPEI -- Freeway tolls across Taiwan will be lifted between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. from Sept. 5-8 to encourage motorists to travel at off-peak hours during the long Mid-Autumn Festival weekend, the managing agency said Thursday.

The National Freeway Bureau said that in addition to removing the toll during that period, it has set a flat daytime rate of NT$0.9 (US$0.03) per kilometer.

The flat rate represents a 25 percent discount of the regular toll, but the usual 20 km of toll-free travel will be suspended during the three-day holiday, the bureau said.

It said it is also discussing some other details of toll rates that may be applied in peak and off-peak hours during the holiday.

Real time traffic information will be available, as usual, on the bureau's website at http://1968.freeway.gov.tw.

Under a new system that replaced conventional toll booths last December, motorists on Taiwan's freeways are charged based on distance traveled, with automated scanners checking each vehicle's Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) tag as it enters and exits the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 5 freeways.