The number of foreigners using the Easytoll system, designed to collect A22 tolls automatically from drivers with foreign licence plates, nearly doubled last Thursday (April 17) compared to the same day in 2013.
According to the national road authority Estradas de Portugal (EP), 1,330 drivers took advantage of the system between midnight and 4pm, compared to last year’s ‘devil’s number’ of 666.
EP also stressed that there was just as much traffic as last year, which proves that “Easytoll is becoming the preferred payment method of drivers with foreign license plates entering Portugal”.
The system works by linking up with the driver’s bank account. The money is then debited directly from the account depending on how far the driver travels.
Nonetheless, the system caused huge trouble in the past.
Queues formed at the Spanish border as drivers were driven mad by the ins and out at toll booths.
“What happened was an embarrassment. There were actually hundreds, if not thousands of Spanish people who turned around and drove back to Spain. It was a sad show for the Algarve and the country, all due to the politicians we have,” said the Via do Infante (A22) Users’ Commission (CUVI), which staged a protest on Good Friday at the border.
CUVI has been fighting the tolls on the highway since long before they were introduced (December 2011).
