I went through the Free Flow toll: see how to pay

Many Brazilians take advantage of the extended Carnival holiday to travel. Now many roads use the Free Flow system in place of toll booths, which helps keep traffic flowing and forces the driver to pay it later.

For those who use toll tags, nothing has changed, the charge is made automatically by the service. But those who don’t have this in the car need to be careful not to get a fine.

SEE ALSO:

• Anchieta-Imigrantes starts free flow toll installation; Charge changes in July
• Free Flow is now called Electronic Toll and has new rules
• The new toll. If you don’t have a tag…

This system is also called Electronic Toll, a name that was adopted by Contran to be used on the plates.

How to pay the Free Flow toll

The driver who passes a Free Flow toll needs to go after the website or app of the highway concessionaire to pay. He will not automatically receive a ticket or anything like that.

There are platforms that unify the payment of tolls into one, such as Meu Pedágio. With this, the driver who passes on highways of different concessionaires will be able to pay in only one place.

Those who already have tags, such as Sem Parar, Connect Car, Taggy and bank tags, will continue without changes. The Free Flow gantries read it and the payment is debited the same as what happened in the booths.

The state of São Paulo has created a website that unifies toll payments there, Siga Fácil. The driver only needs to put the vehicle’s license plate to check if he has debts.

How many days do you have to pay for Free Flow

The main criticism of this system at the beginning of the implementation was the deadline for payment, which was only 15 days. It was extended to 30 days after passing through the toll.

This deadline is for cars that do not have an automatic payment tag. The driver has 30 days to find the concessionaire’s website or app and make the payment.

How do I know if I passed the Free Flow toll?

If you were distracted or unsure if the Free Flow toll was already in operation, you need to go back to find out if you will be charged. The way to do this is the same as the payment method: through the app or the dealership’s website.

What happens if you don’t pay the toll

Going through Free Flow and not making the payment within 30 days is considered toll evasion. This is a serious infraction, with a fine of R$ 195.23 and five points on the National Driver’s License (CNH).

Where there is already the free flow toll

Currently the system is already in use in Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul. The state of Paraná will be the next to adopt. See the places where the system already works:

Rio de Janeiro (CCR RioSP):

• BR-101 (Rio-Santos): km 414 (Itaguaí), km 447 (Mangaratiba), km 538 (Paraty);
• BR-116 (Dutra): Express stretch between São Paulo and Arujá (km 204 to 231).

São Paulo (CCR, EcoNoroeste, Tamoios):

• SP-333 (Carlos Tonanni Highway): km 110 (Jaboticabal), km 78 (Taquaritinga);
• SP-333 (Laurentino Mascari Highway): km 170 (Itápolis);
• SPI 097/055 (South Contour of Tamoios): km 13.5 (São Sebastião) and km 700 (Caraguatatuba);
• Anchieta-Imigrantes System (Piraí/Santos).

Minas Gerais (EPR Sul de Minas):

• MG-459 (Monte Sião), BR-459 (Itajubá), MG-290 (Borda da Mata/Ouro Fino).

Rio Grande do Sul (CSG):

• ERS-122 (São Sebastião do Caí, Farroupilha, Antônio Prado, Ipê);
• ERS-240 (Santana Chapel);
• ERS-446 (Carlos Barbosa).

Free Flow Scam

As usual, everything that is new in Brazil is accompanied by some kind of scam. The Free Flow toll is already being used by malicious people to extract money from innocents.

Scammers impersonate the concessionaires and send bills through social networks, WhatsApp or email charging the toll. There are also fake websites that simulate the official ones.

No concessionaire sends bills charging drivers. The driver needs to go after it in official media or use tags.