Turkish toll roads now require card

  • Published
  • By Mehmet Birbiri
  • 39 ABW/PA
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --     As of Monday, November 22, cash payment is no longer accepted for toll roads throughout Turkey, and customers will be required to purchase a Kartlı Geçiş Sistemi toll-payment card.
  
   Customers can purchase the cards from the specially designated booths before entering the toll roads for 5TL. You must load a minimum of 15 TL the first time. 
 
   As you approach the toll road, look for the booths selling the KGS cards and pull over safely to walk to the booth. Always be careful of oncoming traffic and be advised that the toll booth may be on the opposite side of the road. Check before you park and always pay attention to traffic. When it's your turn to purchase a card tell the attendant at the booth, "KGS kart istiyorum (KEH-geh-SEH khart ihs-tee-yoh-room)." You can load more money onto the card as often as needed from the same booths. 
  
   When you enter a toll road look for the lane marked KGS. Scan your card at the optic reader mounted on the driver's side. The amount of toll credit will appear on the screen. While exiting the toll road, you should do the same thing; look for the lane marked KGS, then use the optic reader to scan your card again. It will subtract the amount from you card. The subtracted amount varies depending on the distance of your drive on the toll road.
  
    If you use toll roads without scanning your card or if your card doesn't have enough credit, your car will be photographed automatically and you will be fined 11 times the longest distance fee of the toll road you are using.
  
   You can purchase KGS cards from several Turkish banks as well, but they issue those cards to the license plate of the vehicle and you can only use that card for the license plate it is issued to.