The Ministry of Transport recently issued a notice stating that starting from this year’s National Day holiday, tolls for vehicles with seven seats or fewer will be waived during major holidays — namely Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Labor Day, and National Day. Recently, reporters learned that although detailed implementation rules have not yet been released, the introduction of this policy has genuinely reduced the cost of road trips.
It is understood that transportation costs, which consist of tolls and fuel expenses, make up a significant portion of the overall cost of road trips. A recent online survey conducted by a domestic media outlet showed that among 224 respondents, nearly 60% said they would choose to travel by car during holidays once tolls are waived. Meanwhile, a person in charge of the Tianjin branch of a major national travel agency noted that calculations indicate this policy will substantially lower the transportation costs of road trips, which will inevitably boost travel rates.
Reporters learned in interviews that private car owners in Tianjin have shown great enthusiasm for the free highway policy. Mr. Lin, a citizen who loves road trips, said: “If this preferential scheme can be implemented during both major and minor golden weeks, it could save a lot of money over the year, making long-distance road trips much more worthwhile.” Liu Jian, a Beijing resident who often drives to Tianjin for leisure, did some calculations for reporters: driving from Tianjin to Beijing on the Beijing-Tianjin Expressway costs 152 yuan in tolls for a round trip, with fuel costs for the same journey coming to less than 120 yuan. Without the highway tolls, road trips would save quite a bit.
In response to the potential surge in road trips due to free highways, many local travel agencies have begun offering services such as online travel routes, hotel bookings, and ticket reservations, while also developing personalized road trip itineraries. These efforts not only reduce transportation costs but also help travelers save money by booking attraction tickets in advance, achieving a “second round of savings.” On one travel website, reporters saw that the listed price for a ticket to the Tianjin Haichang Polar Ocean World is 160 yuan per person, but booking on the site reduces the cost to just 135 yuan per person — a saving of 25 yuan per ticket. Road trips are usually family affairs, and taking the most common scenario of one car with 4–5 people, online bookings alone can save around 100 yuan per attraction for the whole family. If the trip includes multiple attractions, the total savings can be even more substantial.
“This policy will significantly reduce the cost of driving during holidays, but it will also increase traffic pressure on highways. Therefore, we remind citizens planning road trips during the golden week to pay attention to safety while driving. In addition, the increase in road trips may lead to saturated or oversaturated parking spaces at attractions, affecting the travel experience,” reminded a person in charge of the Tuniu Travel website.
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