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DRIVING

EXPLAINED: Norway’s AutoPASS system for toll roads

Tolls stations are pretty much everywhere in Norway. Here's what you need to know about the automated AutoPass system for toll roads. 

Pictured is a road in Norway.
This is what you need to know about the AutoPASS system. Pictured is a road in Norway. Photo by Robert Bye on Unsplash

There are more than 300 toll stations in Norway where charges are levied for travelling on certain roads and bridges and through tunnels. 

Road tolling in Norway dates back to the late eighties and early nineties when Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim introduced toll rings to finance infrastructure and decrease congestion. 

Fast forward to today, and you’ll need to pay a toll to travel into, or to and from, most of Norway’s cities and large towns. Today there are toll rings surrounding Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Haugesund, Bergen, Askøy, Bodø, Harstad, Grenland, Førde and Trondheim. 

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens Vegvesen) has a map to help you plan your route and figure out how many toll roads you’ll use. 

Regardless of where the driver or car is from, you’ll be required to pay tolls when travelling through Norway. 

How does the AutoPASS system work?

Luckily, you won’t constantly be pulling into toll booths to pay charges, as all levies are charged automatically via the AutoPASS system, which the Norwegian Public Roads Administration operates. 

All toll operators in the country are a part of the AutoPASS system.

To pay with AutoPASS, you will need to order a payment tag from several providers. You can click for a list of providers here

Typically, you’ll need to pay a 200 kroner deposit to receive a toll tag. Once your contract with a provider ends, you’ll get the money back. 

Paying with AutoPass

Once you’ve selected a provider and registered, you will be sent a tag, which you attach to the inside of your windscreen, near the top. 

When you’ve got a toll tag, you will receive an invoice automatically when you pass through a toll station. 

You will receive a 20 percent discount on tolls compared to not having a tag installed, and depending on your agreement, you may receive further discounts and benefits. Typically though, greener cars will be cheaper. 

Every time you pass through a toll, you’ll receive an invoice. However, most providers put all the tolls incurred on a trip, during a day, or another time period into one invoice, rather than you having to pay many individual bills. 

What happens if I don’t have a tag? 

If you don’t have a tag, tolls will still be automatic. However, toll stations will instead read your number plate rather than the tag. As a result, you will be sent the invoice to your address instead. One big downside is that you will not receive the 20 percent discount. If you live in Norway, this cost can add significantly over the course of a year if you drive regularly. 

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OSLO

Everything you need to know about Oslo’s public transport network

Buses, trams, ferries and a metro system all make up Oslo's public transport system. Here's what you need to know to get about the Norwegian capital.

Everything you need to know about Oslo's public transport network

Being the Norwegian capital, it’s no surprise that Oslo has a robust public transport network. You can use a public transport ticket for everything from ferries and buses to trams and trains.

One company, Ruter, handles public transport for the city and the surrounding Akershus area.

Thankfully, you’ll only need a single app or travel card to get around the city. This applies to the different forms of public transport, too. You can go from a bus to a tram to a ferry without having to use a different app or purchase a different kind of ticket.

The Ruter app is the only place to buy tickets digitally, and it is available in English. This app also has integrated map features so you can find the best way to get where you need to be and what zones your ticket will cover.

When it comes to the zones themselves, there are five. The cost of a ticket increases as you travel across zones. However, the main thing to know is that zone one covers the entirety of Oslo itself, and the other zones extend into the surrounding areas of Oslo.

Furthermore, some sections of the public transport network, such as the metro, only operate in zone one, so you don’t need to worry when buying tickets.

Tickets

Ruter offers tickets for single journeys, 24 hours, a week, 30 days, or a year. For those commuting inside and out of Oslo, you can add additional zones to the ticket.

The single ticket currently costs 42 kroner for an adult travelling in one zone . There is a flexible scheme currently in place which makes single tickets cheaper the more frequently you buy them.

This discount resets every 30 days. There are also discounts for children, pensioners, and those in the Norwegian Armed Forces.

A single ticket is valid for 60 minutes and allows unlimited transfers. The ticket duration is extended for every extra zone one travels through. For example, this is handy if you are taking a regional train from the airport to the city centre.

Meanwhile, a 24-hour ticket costs 127 kroner, a monthly ticket is 897 kroner (but will soon be reduced), and an annual ticket is 8,996 kroner. The longer the duration of the ticket, the more money you will save.

Those caught travelling without a ticket will typically be fined 1,470 kroner, or 1,200 kroner if the fine is paid on the spot.

The different transport options

There are two kinds of buses in Oslo: the red ones that operate solely in the city and the green ones that shuttle people in and out of the greater Oslo region.

You can get on the red buses at any of the doors, and some of the green ones need you to show your ticket at the front door.

Buses don’t operate 24/7. However, some of the most important routes will have a nighttime schedule.

There are also six tram lines in Oslo, with around 99 stops and 130,000 daily passengers. The trams are suitable for those with mobility issues as the doors open at pavement level. Most lines remain within Oslo, but line 13 ends in Bekkestua in Bærum, one of the municipalities that borders Oslo.

Oslo’s metro, or T-bane, is popular with both commuters and leisure travellers. There are five metro lines, and all lines converge in the city centre via a shared tunnel. The metro line is particularly good at connecting the city to its forested areas, with plenty of hikes and trails branching off from metro stops.

Passenger ferries connect the city to the islands in the Oslofjord. These ferries are a stone’s throw from Oslo town hall at Aker Brygge. There are also commuter ferries connecting Oslo and towns like Nessoden and Drøbak.

Several commuter train lines exist in Norway. In recent years, these have been plagued by punctuality issues.

Regional trains in Norway carry the R designation (the R11, for example), and you can use Ruter tickets for this. An example is using a Ruter ticket to take the cheaper regional trains from the airport to Oslo rather than the express service.

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