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. Recently, the results of an 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. According to the head of the Tianjin branch of a major national travel agency, estimates suggest that the introduction of 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 toll-free highway policy. Mr. Lin, a citizen who loves road trips, said: “If this preferential policy 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 frequently 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 round trip being less than 120 yuan. If highway tolls are waived, road trips will save quite a bit.
In response to the potential road trip boom caused by toll-free highways, many local travel agencies have already begun offering services such as online travel routes, hotel bookings, and ticket reservations, and have developed some personalized road trip itineraries. These measures not only reduce transportation costs but also help travelers save money by booking attraction tickets in advance, achieving a “second round of savings.” Reporters saw on one travel website that the listed price for a ticket to the Tianjin Haichang Polar Ocean World is 160 yuan per person, but booking on the website costs only 135 yuan per person — a saving of 25 yuan per ticket. Road trips are usually family outings, and based on the most common scenario of one car with 4–5 people traveling together, online bookings alone can save around 100 yuan per attraction for the whole family. If the road trip involves visiting 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 the pressure on highway traffic. 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 saturation or even oversaturation of parking spaces at attractions, affecting the travel experience,” reminded a spokesperson from Tuniu Travel Network.
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