Cash-shy system is taking its toll

HAS anyone else experienced difficulties paying the M50 toll charge by cash?

Imagine you are a visitor from overseas arriving at Dublin airport and travelling to Cork. You search around for somewhere to pay the toll.

When you find the newsagents, you are told: “Sorry, you have to pay after you have used the M50 — eFlow’s systems aren’t up to letting you pay for it in advance. You’ll have to find somewhere to pay in Cork. I’ve no idea where you have to go down there to pay, but good luck. You’ll need to check that out on the web. Remember you’ve got 24 hours to do that.”

And it’s the same for anyone travelling to the North. Because you can’t pay by cash in advance you have to break your journey and search around Drogheda or Dundalk. You won’t be able to pay once you have crossed the border.

Whatever you do, don’t give up until you’ve found a payment point that is open and whose staff actually know how to do it.

I have tried twice to pay in Cork at the same place. First time I was told “we don’t do that”.

Second time I was told the same thing but, luckily, there was a sticker on the counter that said they did — even if someone else had to be found to complete the task.

For more than 10 years the excellent automated tolling system on the CityLink in Melbourne, Australia, has offered motorists the opportunity to pay their toll in cash both before and after they make a journey. Melbourne airport is equipped with automated toll payment machines and all post offices also have cash payment facilities. So the technology exists that allows cash payment in advance. It is so much more convenient for anyone travelling away from home to pay in advance at a place they know.

I sent an email to eFlow a few weeks ago to enquire whether they could provide a facility for cash payment in advance. I have heard nothing back.

No doubt they would prefer me to discuss my credit card details over the phone rather than use cash. However, as their client this is not what I want to do. There is far too much credit card transaction fraud around for my liking.

If they are going to impose swingeing fines on motorists for late or non-payment of tolls they should also provide a level of service at least as good as that which has been in place in Australia for a decade.

Or is Australian customer service and computer technology at least a decade ahead of eFlow’s capabilities and management style?

Donal Fellows

Cois na hAbhainn

Bailick Road

Midleton

Co Cork