What are the dates for toll-free holidays on highways?
3 Answers
Highways offer toll-free passage during the Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Labor Day, and National Day. The free period starts at 00:00 on the first day of the holiday and ends at 24:00 on the last day of the holiday. If you enter the highway during a non-free period but exit during the free period, you qualify for toll-free passage. Conversely, if you enter during the free period but exit during a non-free period, you do not qualify for toll-free passage. Relevant information about highway toll-free policies is as follows: 1. Introduction: The holiday toll-free policy refers to the exemption of tolls for small passenger vehicles during major holidays. 2. Specific notice: On September 24, 2020, Sun Wenjian, spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport, stated that during the 2020 National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, toll roads nationwide would continue to exempt small passenger vehicles from tolls. The specific free period was from 00:00 on October 1 to 24:00 on October 8.
During every long holiday when I drive on the highway, the toll-free holidays mainly include the Spring Festival, Tomb-sweeping Day, Labor Day, and National Day. The Spring Festival usually starts around the first day of the lunar new year for a few days, with specific dates announced each year. For example, this year it might be around late January or early February in the Gregorian calendar. Tomb-sweeping Day is approximately around April 4th to 6th. Labor Day is around the May Day holiday, with toll-free days possibly before or after May 1st. National Day is the best, with the Golden Week from October 1st to 7th mostly toll-free. However, this only applies to small passenger vehicles with 7 seats or fewer; trucks and buses still have to pay. Having driven on the highway for many years, I know that traffic surges during toll-free periods, often leading to hours-long jams, so I always remind myself to check the official website or app in advance to confirm the exact times and avoid the morning and evening rush hours. Safety-wise, the accident rate is higher during toll-free periods, so I prefer to drive slower rather than speed or drive fatigued just to save a bit of money. Also, toll-free periods are only during specific entry and exit times; missing the window means you'll be charged, so it's important to time your departure right.
As the key figure in our family trips, we all love driving during toll-free periods on highways to save a considerable amount of expenses. The major holidays are Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, May Day, and National Day. The date of Spring Festival varies around the lunar New Year's Day, Qingming usually falls a few days before April 5th, May Day coincides with the extended holiday period, and National Day offers about a week of toll-free travel from October 1st to 7th. The dates are slightly adjusted each year, so I make it a habit to check the official announcements on the Ministry of Transport's public account before traveling to avoid missing the toll-free window. The money saved can then be spent on hotels or dining. For instance, during the last May Day holiday, we saved 200 yuan on tolls and used it for amusement park tickets. However, the toll-free periods are extremely crowded, so when traveling with kids, I pay extra attention to choosing off-peak times to avoid the heavy traffic and crowds. Safe driving is always the top priority—never rush or drive overnight just to save time. We make it a rule to stop every two hours to stretch and rest. Remember, toll-free benefits apply only to passenger vehicles, so always check your car's condition before departure to avoid breakdowns that could inconvenience everyone.
