If you’re driving on French autoroutes one of the things you need to know is that they are not free – you will have to pay regular tolls, payable at toll booths known as péage.
Usually, drivers pick up a ticket from a booth at the start of their journey, then pay the required amount at a booth at the end of it – or when they move onto a different section of autoroute – based on the distance they have travelled.
But the toll booths themselves can be busy, especially during the summer, and long queues sometimes build up.
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This is where automated pay systems – known as télépéage – come in, especially for those who use the motorway network regularly.
As well as allowing you to pass straight through péages without stopping for payment, it’s also very useful for owners of right-hand drive vehicles, who may otherwise find that they’re sitting on the wrong side for easy and speedy payment.
Here’s how it works
Order your télépéage badge online
Click on the Bip&Go website here and follow the instructions to order a scannable personalised device (up to a maximum of two per account for private users). You will need to set up an account to arrange electronic payment of charges.
The website is available in English, French, German or Dutch.
You will need to supply bank details (IBAN number), address (for delivery), mobile phone number (to activate your account) and the vehicle’s registration details.
Your badge will be dispatched to your address within 48 hours from the opening of your online account. You can have the device sent to addresses outside France, but allow longer for it to arrive.
If you’re in France, you can also pick up the device at one of Bip&Go’s stores, if you prefer – you will need need your bank details, proof of identity and a mobile phone.
Attach your badge
Place your device on on the windscreen to the right of the rearview mirror. It is activated and ready to go. Then, simply, drive.
At the péage
All toll booths are equipped with the sensors that recognise that the vehicle is carrying the necessary device. At most, you will have to stop briefly for the device to be recognised and the barrier to lift.
You will also be able to drive through certain booth areas without stopping. These are indicated by an orange t symbol on the overhead signs. The maximum speed you can pass through these booths is 30kph.
Payments
Payments are processed automatically. You can monitor the amounts you have to pay on an app.
Do I need separate badges for motorway networks run by different companies?
No. The badge allows holders to travel on the entire French motorway network, no matter which company manages the motorway, and you can also use it to cross a number of toll structures in France such as the Millau Viaduct, the Tancarville Bridge or the Normandie Bridge, and pay to park in more than 450 car parks.
Is it only valid in France?
No, with certain packages, you can also as easily travel on motorways in Spain, Portugal and Italy, and use a number of compatible car parks. You can even use them on Italian ferries.
Okay, but how much does it cost?
Subscriptions to the Bip&Go service depend on what type of service you want. A fixed price rolling subscription is €16 a year – plus toll charges – but assumes you’re a regular user of French motorways.
A pay-as-you-go subscription is €1.70 for every month the badge is in use – plus toll charges – and carries a €10 additional fee if the badge is not used in a 12-month period.
How much are the toll charges?
They depend on the road you’re on, how far you travel along it, and the vehicle you’re driving.
Heading from Toulouse to Biarritz along the A64 will cost a total €23 in fees for a private car and if you’re driving all the way from Calais down to the Mediterranean coast expect to pay around €70 once you add up the various tolls along the way.
You can find out tariffs for autoroutes on the website of France’s official autoroute body AFSA – where you can also calculate the cost of your journey – including fuel.
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We have had a PAYG badge since 2004, when we had a Sanef pass and can say it saves so much time and aggro that it is, for us completely worth it. We only pay for the months in which we use it the distance toll plus about €2 (We are now with Vinci/Ulys and can use the badge in car parks as well.)
As you say it is invaluable for single RHD travellers, especially at night. And you can get back on the road so much more quickly. And I have mild mobiliity problems which mean getting out of the car is a bit of a struggle.
I remember well when they were first mooted, drivers saying ‘I’m not going to pay €2 a month for that!’ and my thought was, if you can afford to pay toll charges and run a car, €2 is nothing. But there, some never benefit.
We recommended the extended benefit to friends driving down the Spain, and they couldnt believe how much easier it made their journey.
I wouldn’t be without it. I don’t want to hang about in a hot queue of drivers.