Discount registration cut by £10
DRIVERS will no longer have to pay £30 to register for a Mersey Gateway pre-pay account after the deposit was reduced to £20.
Bridge operator merseyflow said this is in addition the initial £5 registration fee.
Payment for crossing will then be deducted from the £20 in the account.
This can be topped up as and when motorists want or need to.
The default top-up trigger point is set at £10 but customers have the option to set a different amount if they want to.
Having an account in credit means there will be penalty charge notices issued after crossing.
Registered customers save 10% on every journey across the Mersey Gateway.
A merseyflow spokeswoman said registering is the only way to access discounts.
Tolls vary according to the size of vehicle.
For cars the standard fee is £2 per crossing but this is reduced to £1.80 for a registered account.
Mike Bennett, Mersey Gateway Crossings Board managing director, said: “By registering with merseyflow, customers can save up to 10% on their crossing and automatically top-up their account.
“We hope that the new lower deposit amount will encourage more people to register – and I’d encourage everyone to select the ‘auto top-up’ option when they do to make sure that their account stays in credit.”
Neil Conway, merseyflow managing director, said: “We’re always listening to feedback from customers and looking at ways we can improve the service we offer.
“Having reviewed this area, we felt that by reducing this initial deposit amount to £20 it would encourage more people to register for discounts and minimise their chances of getting a PCN.”
He added: “We will continue to respond to customer feedback to help ensure payments are quick and easy to make and I hope that this change will help increase the number of registered customers getting discounts during 2020.
“Our auto top-up system will mean that you always have money in your merseyflow account while you have available credit and that you won’t risk getting a penalty charge.”
Anyone planning to use the bridge can create an account at www.merseyflow.co.uk, or register in person at merseyflow’s walk-in centre in Runcorn, open 9am-7pm weekdays and 9am-6pm weekends and bank holidays.