The Severn TAG is a payment system for collecting bridge tolls

Toll bridge

A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...

 for drivers using either the Severn Bridge

Severn Bridge

The Severn Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the River Severn between South Gloucestershire, just north of Bristol, England, and Monmouthshire in South Wales, via Beachley, a peninsula between the River Severn and River Wye estuary. It is the original Severn road crossing between England and...

 Crossing or the Second Severn Crossing

Second Severn Crossing

The Second Severn Crossing is a bridge which carries the M4 motorway over the River Severn between England and Wales, inaugurated on 5 June 1996 by HRH The Prince of Wales to augment the traffic capacity of the original Severn Bridge built in 1966...

 over the Severn Estuary

River Severn

The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...

 between England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 and Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

.

The system was made by Amtech but was replaced in 2008 by a new system made by CS Eng. To use the system, drivers must place a transponder unit (Tag) on their windscreen to identify their vehicle as they drive through the toll lane. Lanes through the toll booths are dedicated as either Tag (unstaffed), cash (staffed) or automatic coin bins. The new tags are significantly larger than the older units, and the vehicle needs to proceed further toward the barrier before they operate due to the limited area in which the reader "reads" the tag. This prevents the complication of the old system where another tag user could enter the yellow box marking behind the user at the barrier and operate the system with their tag which would then cause the barrier to stay down for the user that entered the boxed area and thus "paying" for the user in front to cross.

Severn TAG types

There are two types of Severn TAG

• Season Tag This type of tag allows the user to purchase a set period of time in which you can cross an unlimited amount of times, the tag may only be used on one vehicle and is not transferable between vehicles. A saving can be made if the user makes more than 17 journeys per month in a class 1 vehicle (car) when using this type of Tag. There are different levels of payment for different classes of vehicle.
• Trip Tag This type of tag is a pay-per-journey tag, useful if the user intends to make fewer than 17 journeys per month with a class 1 vehicle (car). Credit is added to an account each month by Direct Debit
  Direct debit
  A direct debit or direct withdrawal is an instruction that a bank account holder gives to his or her bank to collect an amount directly from another account. It is similar to a direct deposit but initiated by the beneficiary...
  
   or by cheque
  Cheque
  A cheque is a document/instrument See the negotiable cow—itself a fictional story—for discussions of cheques written on unusual surfaces. that orders a payment of money from a bank account...
  
  . When the user passes through the toll, the amount of the toll is deducted from the account. An indication at each toll lane informs the user that their account credit is low. If there is no money in the account then the Tag is declined and the user must have to pay with cash. The trip tag is transferable between vehicles of the same class, ie between two cars but not a car and a truck which would evade paying for the correct type of vehicle.

Both types of Tag require a £30 Deposit. If the tag is lost or stolen, a new one is issued after payment of another £30 deposit.

Limitations and Drawbacks

• The Season TAG can only be used with one registered vehicle, this prevents misuse, however it complicates matters for two car families, users who regularly change vehicles or those who have courtesy vehicles etc. This is judged a misuse which can result in a Severn River Crossing "Fine" of £25+VAT.
• There is no discount for Trip Tag users, and therefore little incentive to use it other than convenience.
• Non Tag users (muppets) inadvertently drive into Tag-only lanes and block the lane.
• The new tags are fairly large. On vehicles with metal lined heat reflective windscreens, the tag has to be placed in a "zone" near the rear view mirror which can be a distraction.
• It is not possible to add funds into a Trip Tag account online, or with a Credit Card
  Credit card
  A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
  
   or Debit Card
  Debit card
  A debit card is a plastic card that provides the cardholder electronic access to his or her bank account/s at a financial institution...
  
  .

Administration of Severn TAG

The tag is administered from the Severn TAG office which is located within the Toll Administration Building at Aust

Aust

Aust is a small village in South Gloucestershire, England, the historical site of the eastern terminal of the Aust Ferry crossing route over the River Severn between England and Wales, believed to have been used in Roman times as a continuation of Icknield Street which led from Eastern England...

. Callers may visit the office if they have problems with the Tag or wish to amend their accounts in any way. Faulty tags can also be exchanged there.

Accounts may also be administered online from the Severn Bridge website, also on the site application forms for new tags can be downloaded.

External links

• Severn River Crossing Plc: TAG Information: The Severn TAG