Motorists using the electronic toll collection (ETC) system will receive a 10 percent discount when passing through the Taishan Toll Station on the Sun Yat-Sen Freeway (Freeway No. 1) during peak hours on weekdays starting in the middle of next month, the National Freeway Bureau (NFB) said yesterday.
The bureau said one southbound lane and one northbound lane at the Taishan Toll Station are closed at present, as the National Expressway Engineering Bureau is expanding the width of the section between the Wugu Interchange (五股交流道) in New Taipei City (新北市) and the Yangmei Interchange (楊梅交流道) in Taoyuan County.
To facilitate traffic during the year-long construction period, the NFB said it would launch a three-month trial operation during which drivers who use the ETC would receive a discount on toll fees.
The NFB said vehicles with on-board units (OBU) for ETC access would receive a 10 percent discount, bringing the cost down to NT$36. Drivers who do not own an OBU but who subscribe to a prepaid plan for ETC access can receive a 5 percent discount.
At present, only OBU owners are entitled to a discount, set at 5 percent.
Traffic volume at the Taishan Toll Station on average exceeds 8,000 vehicles per hour during weekdays and 7,000 vehicles per hour on holidays, the NFB said.
The discount currently applies only to sedans passing through the Taishan Toll Station between 7am and 9am and between 4pm and 7pm on weekdays.
Drivers of large vehicles do not receive a discount, it said.
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