The Guangdong Department of Transportation recently announced that toll fees are to be unified for expressways through the province. The adoption of a provincial standard fee means that both Guangshen Expressway and Huanan Expressway, rates for which are currently the highest among all freeways in Guangdong, will soon be charging less.

As Yangcheng Evening News notes, both the Guangshen and Huanan expressways are well known for charging fees well beyond the allowed rate. Guangdong price control bureau regulations stipulate that toll fees for the Guangshen Expressway are fixed at the standard rate of 0.6 RMB per kilometer, however many drivers have long complained that partial sections of the freeway charge nearly twice that amount. The Guangshen Expressway sustains a daily traffic flow upwards of 100,000 vehicles, amounting to daily toll revenue of more than 10 million RMB.

The same problem also exists with the Huanan Expressway, which charges 10 yuan for passage along a section just 8 kilometers long, more than twice the price allowed by the price control bureau.

As the new toll fee scheme calls for a unified standard, both the Guangshen and Huanan expressways will reduce fees accordingly. According to the relevant departments, however, a reduction of what proportion remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, the new scheme calls for a charge of 0.45 RMB per vehicle per kilometer on four-lane freeways, and 0.6 RMB/vehicle/km on freeways with more than six lanes.

In addition, 41 toll booths throughout the province have recently been removed and 109 different fees canceled. The government says the next step will be to add 2,665 kilometers of freeway throughout Guangdong.