The grim scenario about paying tolls on the Maputo ring road seemed distant, but gradually it became tangible. Our calculations indicate that, on average, driving on the Maputo ring road will cost almost double the Mozambican minimum wage after one year.

Last week, on January 14, 2022, it was announced in the Bulletin of the Republic, First Series-Number 10, a single rate for the four tolls on that road, namely, at Costa do Sol, Zintava, Cumbeza, and Matola Gare.

This week, on January 18, 2022, the private company Rede Viária de Moçambique (REVIMO), which was awarded the concession to install the tolls and manage that road for 20 years, said in a statement that the collection of fees will begin on February 1, 2020. Read the Center for Public Integrity (CIP) article.

The REVIMO document indicates the classes of vehicles and the corresponding amounts to be paid in tolls. Of the four classes - read the MZNews article -For this analysis, only the "Class 1", of light vehicles, is of interest, as it is the only one that will benefit from discounts.

By default, this class must pay a fee of 40 meticais every time they pass the first toll and have a free pass at the next, i.e., they pay every two tolls (1st and 3rd), and this is only valid within a period of six hours after the payment at the first toll. However, the REVIMO note foresees that after a certain number of trips, and in a progressive process, the fee will suffer some discounts up to a maximum of 60%, if the driver wishes and has a card for this purpose.

Based on the flat or standard rate (40 meticais), cars with the number of trips ranging from 11 to 20 are entitled to 7% discount (37 meticais); for 21 to 30 trips are 13% discount (35 meticais); for 31 to 40 trips are 20% discount (32 meticais); 41 to 50 trips are 33% discount (27 meticais); 51 to 60 trips are 46% discount (22 meticais); and finally, for trips over 60, i.e. 61 trips and up, the vehicle will benefit from 60% discount and pay 16 meticais.

The process for acquiring the card that entitles drivers to discounts began today at the four toll stations.

After all, how much will the citizen pay after 60 trips and one to a year?

Accounts done!

According to REVIMO, the accounting of trips is done at each toll charge, at any of the toll stations. Therefore, in a more common situation, in a single day it is possible to count two trips, round trip.

The company divided the number of trips into a cycle of 10, starting the actual counting from the 11th trip. This means that the citizen driver will pay a total of 400 meticais in the first cycle "which is not yet in the discount plan". The second cycle will be 370 meticais, counting from the 11th to the 20th trip, with a 7% discount. In the third, where you now pay 35 meticais and go from the 21st to the 30th trip, the amount to be paid is 350 meticais, for the 13% discount. In the fourth, from the 31st to the 40th trip, where you have 20% discount, you will pay 320 meticais, after 10 trips. In the fifth cycle, from the 41st to the 50th trip, the discount is 33%, and ten trips will cost 270 meticais. And finally, in the sixth cycle, from the 51st to the 60th trip, the discount is 46%, and the cost of 10 more trips will be 220 meticais.

So, with the math done, the citizen will have to pay or spend 1,930 meticais until they secure the larger 60% bacela discount. At this stage the motorist will pay 16 meticais per trip, an average of 32 meticais daily round trip, on the Maputo ring road.

Considering only one round trip routine on the "working" days of the week, from Monday to Friday, corresponding to 32 meticais per day, after five days the citizen will spend 160 meticais, at a rate of 640 meticais on the 20 working days of a month, culminating with 40 trips. In one year (12 months), the citizen driver will pay 7,680 meticais.

Just for the record, this is equivalent to having a civil servant who receives the lowest salary in the Mozambican state work a month and another 19 days without receiving a salary.