How is the toll collected when entering the highway with a toll and exiting for free?
2 Answers
How tolls are collected when entering the highway with a toll and exiting for free: During the highway toll-free period, toll stations will replace the regular toll cards with paper cards one day in advance. If the highway is free when exiting, there is no need to return the paper card to the toll station. Nowadays, many highways also implement a system where they directly lift the barrier without issuing any cards. If you receive a hard card when entering the highway, you still need to return it to the toll station; otherwise, you will be charged based on the longest possible distance on the highway. If you enter the highway during the toll period and exit during the free period, no toll will be charged. However, if you enter during the free period and exit during the toll period, you will be charged based on the time of exiting the highway.
I encountered this situation during the National Day holiday when I was driving on the expressway. I entered the expressway during the toll period, but when I exited, it happened to be the start of the free period. The toll collector informed me that the expressway toll is entirely based on the exit time. As long as you exit during the nationally designated free period, even if you entered the expressway days earlier, it's free. However, it's crucial to pay attention to the timing. For example, if the free period starts at 0:00 on the 1st, and you enter the expressway at 23:00 on the 31st, exiting after 0:00 on the 1st means no toll. Conversely, if the free period ends at 24:00 on the 7th, exiting even one second later means paying the full toll. Our fleet drivers often plan carefully, scheduling rest stops in advance to avoid rushing to exit in the last minute, which is both dangerous and prone to exceeding the time limit.
