Sanral speaks on e-toll bank account issue

"Leaders of various organisations have been repeatedly quoted in the media telling their members that Sanral will gain uncontrolled access to their bank accounts if they register for Gauteng e-tolling.

"What these leaders know but are not telling their members and the public is that the credit card-linked e-toll account is not the only payment option available for Gauteng e-road users," the agency said in a statement.

Tolling scheduled to begin 30 April

If they do not prefer the automated credit card payment option, road users can opt for the pre-paid e-toll account, which works in the same way as a pre-paid cell phone account. With this option, road users can either top up their e-toll account by visiting an e-toll customer service outlet or via electronic funds transfer (EFT). In both cases road users are not required to provide their banking details.

Even with the automated credit card payment system, account holders regulate their account by setting pre-determined top-up threshold levels. This form of managing automated payments is already widely in use by other organisations. Road users also decide in advance how much their e-toll account should be topped up by. Sanral said it did not determine these levels.

Sanral said tolling was scheduled to commence on 30 April, and registration was still open for road users who chose to be e-toll compliant.