Rethinking the toll-free policy

The Ministry of Transportation announced on Tuesday that the toll-free ride policy will not apply to this year's Lunar New Year's Eve, which is set to disappoint hundreds of millions of car drivers as they rush home to see their families.

Starting from 2012, policymakers have allowed passenger vehicles carrying up to seven people to be exempt from paying tolls during four major festivals, including the Lunar New Year holiday.

Tradition has it that the Chinese generally start celebrating Spring Festival on the evening of New Year's Eve. But in order to do so many travellers must start driving home on the morning of New Year's Eve, and if not, they miss the most important moment of the holiday reunion.

Policymakers have aroused great controversy claiming that New Year's Eve is not included in the seven-day holiday this year, meaning many people would have to ask for one day off from their employers if they want to travel home — often hundreds of kilometres away from their workplace in such a vast country as China — in time for their family reunion.

Such a policy is set to disrupt the schedules of many people and create chaos during the world's largest human migration.

Adding salt to the wounds of motorists, Tuesday's announcement from the Ministry of Transportation means most would be exempt from the cost-saving toll-free policy.

The toll-free policy was initially aimed to facilitate travel and serve as a bonus for holiday travellers. Now thanks to an unnecessary gaffe from policymakers, the policy has brought chaos and disappointment, thus weakening public confidence in the seriousness of policymaking.

Policy burdens expressway business

The controversy of policymaking has not been limited to the holidays, and the toll-free policy was first cast into doubt since its debut in 2012.

At the center of the controversy is how the government is able to force road management companies to drop toll charges.

In a market economy, the government should not intervene with commercial company operations. Otherwise, it should negotiate proper compensation with the involved parties. In this case, a number of expressway management companies, including listed ones, would see their annual revenues drop, according to research estimates.