M6 fee increases are £ 6.90 for weekday peak traffic

Starting today, the fee for using the M6 ​​toll road increases by up to 30p per trip.

Starting Friday December 4th, operators will increase the weekday fee for people behind the wheel of passenger cars to £ 6.90 – an increase of 20p – and weekend getaways will increase from £ 5.60 to £ 5.90.

The latter is an inflation-related increase of more than 5 percent.

However, it was confirmed that only motorists should be affected by a fee increase, with the prices of vans and trucks remaining unchanged as part of “business support” measures.

The motorist price hike comes just 17 months after highway operator Midlands Expressways Limited increased the peak weekday fee by 30p on July 2019.

The Friday maximum rate hike is also higher than the rate of inflation, with the extra 20p on weekdays representing a 3 percent increase.

The higher fees for drivers using the freeway were confirmed by supervisors earlier this month.

The price increase was “carefully weighed” and the result of a “detailed assessment” by the management of MEL.

The operator added that each hike is part of an ongoing focus on providing a high level of customer service, reliability of travel time, flexible pricing models and products that meet the specific needs of drivers using the M6 ​​toll.

It is estimated that more than 50,000 drivers use the M6 ​​toll every day.

Drivers pay one of two different tariffs.

For class 2 drivers, the fees for using the M6 ​​toll increase by 20p on weekdays at peak times. Weekday off-peak and night jounreys will also rise at 10 p.m., while weekend trips cost 30p more than before

The more expensive price is known as the “main line price” and is charged to those who use the entire length of the motorway and take the northern or southern main line places.

During peak hours from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., the driver fee increases from £ 6.70 to £ 6.90 from Friday.

Travel outside of peak hours between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. and between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. on weekdays increases 10p to £ 6.70. Night trips from 11pm to 5am also increase to £ 4.30 at 10pm.

The cheaper price is called the crossover price. This is intended for drivers who get off at an intersection and do not use the entire length of the street.

This peak weekday fee is increased by 10p from £ 4.80 to £ 4.90.

The toll is discounted for journeys on Saturdays and Sundays. However, these lower fees will only be charged to motorists from Friday.

Midlands Expressways Limited, operator of the toll road, said prices for van and truck drivers would remain at 2019 levels as part of “business support” measures

MEL clarified that there will be no change in the tariffs paid by people behind the wheel of vans and trucks as part of “business support measures” to provide an “efficient and sustainable route for trucks and other commercial operators”.

It was explained why the fee is only being escalated for passenger cars: “We continue to strive to increase the volume of truck traffic with the M6 ​​toll over the M6 ​​or the local roads, which is why we are offering attractive product trials and incentives for new trucking Customers and tailor-made / innovative price offers for commercial operators, regardless of whether they cover long or short distances or travel rarely. ‘

MEL also stated that in its “Let’s Get The Midlands Moving” campaign launched in July to help businesses recover from the pandemic, the number of vans and trucks on the M6 ​​toll has increased.

“This has helped both relieve local congestion and greatly promote regional recovery by allowing companies to maintain operational efficiencies when they return to work,” he added.

A new program will be launched in January 2021 to encourage local drivers to use the toll route at a discounted rate instead of clogging already congested roads like the A5 and A38

New FlexiPass program to reduce prices for local drivers

While the fees for the use of the entire stretch of the M6 ​​toll motorway will rise, the operator has announced a new “FlexiPass” prepayment program, which will offer a greatly reduced price for short local journeys from January.

The aim is to encourage local drivers to use the toll route instead of congested roads like the A5 and A38.

A FlexiPass is £ 29 for 10 journeys starting and ending at junctions T4, T5 and T6. Excursions can be made at any time: day or night, weekday or weekend.

It costs £ 2.90 per trip, compared to the new daily rate of £ 4.90 for cars using the intersections from December 4, 2020.

Andy Cliffe, Managing Director of M6 Toll, said: ‘We are committed to making the M6 ​​Toll a hassle-free and reliable route for all while taking advantage of a large volume of traffic from the M6 ​​and the surrounding Midlands road network.

‘The new FlexiPass will help encourage shorter local journeys with the M6 ​​toll by offering local road users a flexible and discounted pricing option and achieving the goal of reducing congestion on local roads.

“It is the latest in a range of products that provide drivers with an accessible and affordable way to take advantage of the M6 ​​toll.”

The M6 ​​toll was opened in 2003 and is intended to direct traffic from the heavily congested M6 through Birmingham.

It is the most expensive toll on UK roads outside Dartford Crossing and costs £ 2.50 for car drivers.

With a length of 27 miles, the M6 ​​toll carries around 18.2 million users annually.

At peak times, up to 55 percent of trucks and 85 percent of cars making long-distance journeys through the Midlands use tolls that would otherwise take place on the M6 ​​and local routes such as the A5, A38 and A446.