Salik charge may be hiked to Dh5 from next year
Mustafa Al Zarooni / 9 December 2013

 An RTA source said there were several proposals for improving the flow of vehicle traffic in the emirate, of which the Salik charge hike was one.                                                                    
   

The fee to cross a Salik road toll gate could increase from Dh4 to Dh5 from next year under a proposal by the Roads and Transport Authority — but the plan has not been endorsed so far.

Meanwhile, complaints have been made that car rental companies are illegally including extra Salik charges on hired vehicles.

Khaleej Times has learned Dubai’s Department of Economic Development (DED) has protested that charging more fees on Salik under administrative fees is illegal.

An RTA source said there were several proposals for improving the flow of vehicle traffic in the emirate, of which the Salik charge hike was one.

Another proposal was to increase the charges of normal Nol public transport cards, while simultaneously introducing a service for unlimited use on monthly, quarterly and half-yearly public transport subscriptions in a bid to get people to use public transport more frequently.

On administrative fees added to Salik by the service centres or car rental offices, the source said the RTA was not a watchdog body that kept an eye on additional fees, but worked to protect the consumer in specialised entities.

The source said RTA was chalking out future plans as part of its strategies, and the hike in the road toll gate charges might not materialize next year as it was simply part of the authority’s proposals to reduce traffic jams and congestion in the emirate, and increase the number of public transport users.

A number of Khaleej Times readers have complained of additional charges on Salik services under administrative fees by car rental companies. The Consumer Protection Department at the DED ruled the procedures illegal and said no additional charges were allowed.

“It is not permissible to levy additional fees on the Salik service (though) a number of car rental offices take advantage to add into it extra administrative fees,” said Consumer Protection Department director Abdulaziz bin Hathboor.

“Any store which violates the rules will be served a warning, and in case of repetition, financial fines will be imposed starting from Dh2,000, and may multiply with the end result the closure of the shop or office temporarily.”

He urged the public and consumers to report any violation to the department.

malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com

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