# Portugese Tolls - Talk With Brisa



## Patrick_Phillips (Aug 17, 2006)

Travelling from Algarve (coming in from Spain) and going to Vigo via the coast.
Last year, collected an invoice from Brisa for €40 unpaid toll because their card link was down.
Have been discussig ways of paying off & on for a year.
Now finding myself on an electronic toll for €2.40 and again €0.25 I decided to try and get something sorted before we became wanted throughout the Union...
Finally got through on the phone to a senior manager at Brisa and was astounded at what he told me.
Basically, whilst Brisa had been the sole operator of the old toll roads, the new roads went out to tender and there are 8 or 9 companies levying tolls in Portugal but ---- NONE of them can collect from non Portugese vehicles unless those vehicles chose to pay!
On top of that chaos, the EU has just written to the IMTT (Portugese ministry) to say that the EU is not happy with the way the Portugese tolls are being operated, especially in relation to foreign vehicles. The toll operators have been invited to help the IMTT come forward with improvements. My friend at Brisa didn't think their company would be very keen on that - they have had enough of the IMTT.
As far as my attempts to pay was concerned... "Just forget about it. We don't have the means or the will to do anything about it. You will be able to use the toll roads for at least a year before there is any chance of us and the other companies being ready to deal with foreigners."
So, yes, the tolls are up and running.
No, they are not organised or capable of meeting the needs of foreign visitors.
A bit like Italian one-way streets. They are optional!
Patrick


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## CliveMott (Mar 10, 2008)

Recently spent 3 days in Cairo. Optional road rules include :-
Driving test. If you take it then its 3 minutes long. Drive forward and backwards slalom style through some cones. Knock non down and you have passed. Theory test? None, over half the population are iliterate so how would that work?
Vehicle test. Yes if you like but not enforced as over half the vehicles would come off the roads and the economy could not stand that.
Roundabouts, take whichever side is the less occupied.
Dual carriageways any direction will be OK but use your horn.
Traffic lights, yes they are prety --- optional.
Vehicle lights at night, seldom.
Emissions - yes lots of them.
Most important items are HORN and NERVE.

Makes Portugal look positively modern.

C.


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## eddied (May 9, 2005)

:lol: Sounds a lot like Naples!


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## christine1310 (Apr 10, 2008)

Patrick,

We stopped at the border and asked in the tourist information how to pay the tolls. The lady gave me a leaflet and said I can travel to the Ohlao service area and buy a €20 ticket which will last for 3 days. So we could drive up and down the A22 all day for 3 days on that ticket if we wanted to. The alternative was to rent a unit = deposit, weekly rent and then tolls on top. You would get the deposit back when you leave. But when you take the unit back to Ohlao to get your deposit, how do you get to the Spanish border. Do you have to buy a €20 ticket to travel on the eastern end of the motorway???? It's mind boggling.

We did get chatting to an English girl who is a resident and she said that the cameras recognise your reg. So she goes into the newsagents in the Intermarche in Buddens (between Lagos and Sagres) to pay. You tell them your reg number, they can tell you how much you owe and you can then pay over the counter. However, you must do this within 5 days of using the motorway. If you don't it's too late to pay and no-one knows what happens then. !!!

Everyone we met gave the same advice - don't worry about it.

Happy travels

Christine


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi.

We just payed by credit card on the toll booth all over Portugal, never had a problem..

Or should I say we did have a problem it charged us as class 4 commercial, but you can't argue with a toll booth machine especially when there is a gaggle of irate Portuguese drivers waiting to get through the non Green drive through lane.

Near enough to a hundred euros up to the top of Portugal in 4 tolls.. Bugger!. :roll: 

And the Portuguese and other foreign drivers come over here and go just about anywhere they want and do not pay a thing, while we pay our road tax, and nobody in the Government has jumped on this anomaly.

ray.


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## Wizzo (Dec 3, 2007)

rayrecrok said:


> Hi.
> We just payed by credit card on the toll booth all over Portugal, never had a problem..
> ray.


The point is though Ray, the newly tolled sections of Motorway like the A22 have no toll booths. It is electronic/camera. They have not really thought through what visitors are going to do, nor do they have any means of collecting tolls from vehicles with non-portuguese plates.

With the amount of unemployment in Portugal you would have thought it would have been more cost-effective to have toll booths at every entrance/exit.

JohnW


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