Dart Charge appeals to be given 'impartial' consideration

author: FutureCar Staff    

Roads minister Richard Holden assures drivers who have faced fines due to issues with the Dart Charge payment system that they will receive a fair hearing from National Highways. As of July 28, Conduent took over the payment system for journeys across the Dartford Crossing, while Emovis continued to handle penalty charge notices (PCNs). However, many drivers experienced difficulties updating their accounts, making payments, or reaching the call centre for assistance.

In response to a letter from Dartford MP Gareth Johnson, Holden stated that a "fix has now been deployed" to address the issues. The transition to the new payment service resulted in high customer demand, with over 1 million individual customers using the website, 40,000 opening new accounts, and over 404,000 updating their payment card details. National Highways acknowledges that some customers encountered technical problems and is working with Conduent to resolve them.

Holden mentioned that since July 28, there have been 62,000 calls answered regarding the Dart Charge, and an additional 44 staff members have been hired for the call centre. However, waiting times currently stand at 45 minutes. National Highways is working closely with Conduent to reduce waiting times and ensure a smoother online experience, as the system is currently serving over 40,000 customers per day with no waiting time.

Holden emphasized that individuals who were unable to pay the Dart Charge due to technical issues in the last month should not be penalized. Those who receive a penalty charge notice for unpaid journeys during that period will have two weeks to respond and pay at the original charge rate. National Highways will also consider appeals against penalties in a fair manner.

National Highways has extended the grace period for drivers who failed to update their Dart Charge payment card details before the original deadline of August 31. These drivers now have an additional 14 days to pay any charge before facing fines. The extension applies to those who made crossings from July 27, when the new payment system was implemented. Many motorists faced difficulties accessing the system, with phone lines becoming jammed.

A spokesperson from National Highways explained that initially, customers who fail to update their payment card details will be given an extra 14 days to pay the Road User Charge (RUC) upon receiving the PCN. Failure to pay the RUC within this extended period will result in an increased amount of £70 plus RUC. National Highways designed the PCN process to provide registered vehicle keepers with a final prompt to update payment card details and/or pay the RUC.

Dartford MP Gareth Johnson expressed his dissatisfaction with the changeover to the new system, stating that it has been a "shambles." He had previously met with National Highways and was assured that their IT systems could handle the transition. However, the situation has not improved significantly, with long wait times for phone calls and email responses. Johnson criticized National Highways for choosing to carry out the changeover during the busiest month of the year for the crossing, despite having two years to prepare.

FutureCar Staff