Automatic toll increases for bridges and highways to be implemented twice a year

According to information obtained from Ulaştırma Bakanlığı sources, a significant change is planned in the transportation infrastructure operated under the build-operate-transfer model in our country. In this context, a new pricing mechanism has been brought to the agenda regarding the fees paid for passing through bridges, highways, and tunnels. The mechanism in question envisages transitioning to a fully automatic system in the process of determining toll fees. Currently, increases in fees are generally carried out by making manual decisions at specific intervals. However, with the new regulation, it is aimed to free this process from bureaucratic procedures and tie it directly to formulas.

The most striking aspect of the planned automatic increase system is that a clear framework has been drawn regarding the frequency and timing of the increases. Accordingly, tolls will be increased twice a year, and these increases will be implemented in ocak and temmuz months. The selection of the six-month period was influenced by the fact that inflation figures and consumer price indices are monitored on a semi-annual rather than an annual basis. In this way, it is stated that the cost increases faced by the operating companies can be reflected in the fees more quickly. The ocak and temmuz periods were preferred because they are considered the beginning and middle of the year in terms of the economic calendar.

The build-operate-transfer model is a method frequently used in the financing of large-scale infrastructure projects such as highways, bridges, and tunnels in Turkey, especially since the late 1990'lı yıllar. In this model, the state transfers the construction and operation of the project for a certain period to the private sector, and in return, the company collects toll fees from users in order to pay back its investment. Since contracts generally include clauses such as revenue guarantees, difference payments can be made by the state if the companies cannot reach the expected revenue level. It is evaluated that the main purpose of the automatic increase system is to alleviate the financial burden of these revenue guarantees on the state.

At the center of the discussions regarding the issue are the potential impacts on citizens' transportation costs. Imposing automatic increases on bridge and highway tolls every six months will directly affect the budgets of drivers and transportation companies who use these roads on a daily basis. Logistics companies engaged in intercity freight transport, in particular, may be forced to reflect the increased toll fees onto product prices. The possibility that this situation could create extra pressure on general inflation figures in a chain reaction is being emphasized. Driver organizations and consumer associations are concerned that automating the increases could weaken oversight mechanisms.

On the other hand, a clear schedule has not yet been shared regarding how the legal infrastructure of the regulation will take shape and when it will come to the meclis agenda. It is stated that the relevant units of Ulaştırma Bakanlığı are trying to finalize the technical details by taking the contract provisions into consideration. Since many of the existing build-operate-transfer contracts contain special conditions regarding the fee adjustment mechanism, how these conditions will be integrated into the automatic system stands out as an important legal and technical issue. After the process is completed through legal avenues, the first automatic increase is expected to be implemented in ocak of the next year.