Degrees of comparison: Weird, absurd … e-toll bill?
I excitedly opened my first e-toll bill
Having very strong opinions about e-tolling, as many do, I excitedly opened my first e-toll bill this past Thursday (22 September), ready to live out my rebel fantasies, already imagining my committing noble acts of defiance – but I was about to be very disappointed.
But wait, let me backtrack. I have never used my trusted Toyota on a toll road and our Vespa Club, the Chicken Runners, prefer to take the scenic roads less travelled on our Sunday ride-outs. But on 3 July we wanted to attend the 1000 Bike Show in Germiston and had no choice but to use the tolled highways. Fun was had, I forgot about the gantries until I received my little jewel courtesy of South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) last week.
There it was. Black on white complete with a picture that was so dark I only recognised a white Vespa in it – mine is blue. But that was not my disappointment. After my discount I owed Sanral … R1,98! (Before discount it was R3,96 if paid after 7 October.) After reluctantly putting my protest posters and home made projectiles of revolution away, the absurdity of the bill dawned on me.
I did a little research, admittedly working on averages, and established the following. The piece of paper the invoice was printed on costs about R0,09, the double-sided printing a further R0,72 and according the Post Office the postage-included envelope it was sent in cost R8,20. Their attempt to generate income from me cost about R9.01. Let’s assume I jumped at the chance of paying the discounted amount, Sanral would actually be R7,03 in the negative!
Keep up this kind of accounting, Sanral, and the people will not need to protest.
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