Northern Gateway Toll Road six-monthly operating report available

Detailed information on the operations of the Northern Gateway Toll Road for the period from 1 July 2010 to 31 December 2010 has been published today by the NZ Transport Agency.

The toll road's latest six-monthly operating report shows that almost 2.5 million trips were made on the road during the six month reporting period, about two percent higher than forecast, bringing the total number of journeys since the toll road opened in January 2009 to 9.4 million.

Key results for the six months to 31 December 2010 include:

• The overall compliance rate (the percentage of trips that have been paid) on the road has remained constant at 96 percent
• Approximately $3 million in revenue was collected to repay debt for construction of the road during the six-month reporting period. A total of $11.4 million has now been collected for debt repayment since the toll road opened
• The average administration cost per transaction for toll payments for the six month period was $0.74
• Transaction costs incurred to administer different types of payment varied widely, from $0.13 per transaction for web payments to $3.85 per transaction for telephone payments.
• Over 5,000 accounts were opened during the six month reporting period, bringing the total number of toll road accounts to more than 52,000
• More than half (53.5 percent) of trips taken on the toll road during the six month period were paid for using a toll road account.
• 57 percent of casual users paid manually by stopping at the kiosks, 28 percent paid using the web and 15 percent paid by telephone.

NZTA Regional Director for Auckland and Northland Stephen Town said while the agency was pleased with the toll road's overall compliance rate of 96 percent, which compares favourably with toll roads overseas, more than 50,000 toll payment notices were outstanding and the NZTA would be taking additional steps to target the minority of toll road users not paying for their trips.

Mr Town said the agency was working to improve payment rates of overdue tolls, including introducing automated referral of infringement notices to the Ministry of Justice for collection, and the NZTA would commence court proceedings against outstanding toll debtors later this year.

"The Northern Gateway Toll Road provides safer and easier trips for our customers, and tolling the road to help cover the cost of borrowing for construction meant we were able to build it much sooner than with traditional funding alone. When the debt is paid off the toll will be removed, and we'll be working hard to ensure that everyone who uses the road pays their fair share."

Mr Town said the NZTA was also focussed on ways of reducing administration costs for toll payments, with the average cost per transaction for the six-month period at $0.74. Customers are currently offered several options for paying tolls, and there is a wide range in the costs incurred to administer different types of payment - from $0.13 per transaction for web payments to $3.85 per transaction for telephone payments.

"These costs are not sustainable going forward, and we're looking at ways to encourage more use of our easier and less expensive payment channels like the web, including the introduction of a new scale of administration charges which will better reflect the level of service and actual costs of the different payment channels."

To download a copy of the Northern Gateway Toll Road Operating Report for the six months ending 31 December, 2010, go to www.tollroad.govt.nz/Documents/Reports(external link).