Liber-t (SANEF) Télépéage Scheme

[Steve F]

Has anybody used this toll card recently? The Sanef tolling website is certainly informative, but when you read the blurb regarding bikes, it suddenly doesn't sound so attractive! Stopping to hand over the card to a bod in a manned box (are there any now??) in the manual lane takes away any advantage of using an automated system. Doesn't it? Using the non-height restricted lanes seems to be a gamble on getting charged correctly for the class of vehicle. Anyone had this experience ? Thanks in advance for any comments! Motorcycles

• Motorcycle
• Motorcycle with sidecar
• Tricycle

Please note: The use of a Liber-t tag on a motorcycle is somewhat restricted.  In order to be charged at the Class 5 rate, you must use the manual lane and hand your tag over to the operator to be scanned.  You will be billed as normal.  This is still better than fumbling for cash or payment card with gloves on.  If you do use the automated lane, you must use the non-height restricted lane. The tag can usually be read through a motorbike jacket if it's the correct way round in your pocket.  Motorcyclists using the 2 meter height restricted car only lane would be charged at the Class 1 car rate.
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[guest2360]

Can't see the point.  If you still have to hand it over at the booth just give them your credit card.  its always worked for me.

[Steve F]

Yes, I'm inclined to agree on that point re use of a bank card. Otherwise, where's the advantage?? The proverbial proof in the pudding is whether it actually works correctly when using the non-height restricted toll lanes!

[Our Gee]

I do miss the manned Toll Booths. As Steve says they are few and far between now. Over the years and having used the French "peage" countless times I have never been charged the car rate at a "non manned" booth but I have on two occasions, had other other problems. Junction 2 on the A89 East of Clermont- Ferrand was the first when after retrieving my card from the machine I dropped it. By the time I had recovered it the barrier had opened and closed and I was trapped with a line of irrate Frenchman held up behind for a good 5 minutes as I explained my predicament to an unseen voice. The last time was at Junction 10 on the A26 as I attempted to leave for St Quentin and the highly recommended Hotel Florence. This time the machine took my ticket and card but would not open the barrier, so once again, a long line of unhappy locals as I tried to explain my situation to a nice unseen lady who after what seemed like an age opened the barrier for me.

[gogs01]

I've often been tempted to get one of these passes. When in the car it often feels as if all the good time I've made, sitting at 130(ish) is lost sitting in very long tailbacks at the peage, and this is made more frustrating when there are cars pouring through the telepeage lane without stopping. So, for the car, I'm still tempted.


When on the bike it's more complicated. If I use the telepeage card I'm going to be charged car rate and if I use a manned booth there's no benefit to handing over a telepeage card when I can do the same with a credit card.
In recent years I've done less travelling with my wife on the back and more with my brother on his bike. He prefers to avoid motorways so I see fewer peages these days, but when we do use them we generally enter together, then the inside man pays for both (one at a time) which means only one person having to battle with wet gloves, credit card etc.


In years gone by, there was a "moto libre" lane on all the peages between Paris and Marseilles for a week either side of the Bol d'Or endurance race. The motorcycle traffic during this period was heavy enough that it would have caused serious delays on the autoroutes, so motorcycles went free of charge for this period. It made for a stress free and fast trip to the South of France - Zeebrugge to Circuit Paul Ricard is approximately 700 miles and could be done on a GPZ900R in 13 hours.    Aahhh ..... Those were the days .....

[Dogbreath]

I've got the card in the car. It's great, works well but not cheap!
When I went down to south france last May on the bike I just used the auto booths. Just make sure, before inserting card, the display shows the correct tariff (5?) for the bike and nothing else.
Simples!

[Steve F]

As it happens Dogbreath, I'm taking my car to France (before my annual bike jaunt over there) later the year, and what you've said is probably whatI'll end up doing, i.e. buy a card for the car, and then use it on the bike via the auto booths on the péage autoroutes. Just a quick related question: is it possible and / or advisable even, to go through auto booths with two bikes at once (in parallel),or is it just provoking problems and aggro with the authorities?  ???

[Steve F]

Well, I finally took the plunge and purchased a SANEF Libert-e TAG card (buying online via the Eurotunnel site also meant waiving the €10 application fee, so additional saving there!). Card received in post 2 days later and activated online (all very simple) with comprehensive website info. I also phoned their UK Customer Services (based in Harrogate) to ask about specifics when riding through an auto peage toll lane. Their help and advice was all very clear and extremely helpful, with the interesting comment that nearly all TAG card 'reading' issues at the toll lane scanner, when bikes are involved, is when more than one bike arrives and bunch together, and confuse the scanner which tries to read more than one Libert-e card at once, and consequently throws a wobbly and bills the unfortunate biker(s) the wrong amount! Suffice to say, it's imperative to leave a decent gap between vehicles, and have the card in a jacket top pocket, ideally, and facing the right way round! As I'm both using car and bike on two separate visits to France this year, the results will be interesting.......and problem free, hopefully!!

[Steve F]

First road trip through entire length of France by car with Libert-e TAG installed on windscreen completed. 100% success in the 30 kph height-restricted lanes of the Autoroutes! Oh, how smug you feel when you breeze through the peage lane and leave them all behind queuing at the toll booths!.
So, the real test remains on the trusty RT in the summer with the wife on her bike. Not only is the Libert-e TAG going to be in my top jacket pocket (+ 1 for Mrs F as well) as opposed to being stuck on a nice clear glass car windscreen, but only allowed to use non-height restricted toll lanes on the bikes could be an interesting challenge! One thing I did notice the other week in the car was the clear signage at the toll lanes, so as long as we don't panic upon arrival at the peage!!! Assuming France remains the same after April 23rd.....??!!

[Dogbreath]

Glad you had a good experience steve.
That's my experience too, easy to use, no delays and hassle free.


It's funny though, when you approach the 30kph booths the French drivers behind see your gb plates and peel off thinking you've chosen the wrong lane :))

[Steve F]

Thanks, and yes Dogbreath, that's very true. The French do appear to go all out to change lanes if they're behind a Brit car at the toll booths! ;D

[SilverFox]

I used the SANEF toll tag last year on a bike trip through France to Switzerland. I was riding solo with a friend who didn’t have a tag. It worked like a dream for me (had it in the pocket of my hi-viz jacket) and the barrier pinged up well before I reached it.
If you go through the non height restricted gate it recognises you as a bike and charges you accordingly. Admittedly I only ever went through the gates at about 20 mph. Stating the obvious you do not have to wait to collect a ticket at the start of the Télépéage (it recognises the tag and lifts the barrier) or to faff around paying at the end. The only downside last year was that I had to wait on the other side of the toll for my friend to take off his glove, get ticket, store ticket, put on glove etc. and do the same when he came to pay – insert card, credit card etc., etc.
Over the early Bank Holiday weekend went on a short trip to Belgium via France with my wife as pillion. She normally gets the ticket, pays with the credit card etc. etc.
Her reaction to the tag was ‘this is a no brainer!’.
So to summarise you never have to lift your hands from the handlebars.

[Dogbreath]

Steve f.
Depending upon how criminal you wish to be there's a way in which two riders can use the tolls with one liberte tag.
I know someone who rode with a partner on another bike and they went through the auto booths side by side with one tag.


In no way am I condoning that behaviour but thought I'd point it is possible!!!

[Steve F]

SilverFox,
Glad to hear the ringing endorsement of using the Liber-t tag on the bike last year and this year.....apart from the friend paying manually that is! [size=78%]Great news! Thanks for posting that.[/size]
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Dogbreath,
Yes, needless to say, that tempting method did cross my mind, but what with toll booths festooned with CCTV cameras, and the U.K. SANEF  office up in Harrogate, it's Sod's law that I'd get filmed or snitched on, and then doubtless hear from SANEF UK upon my return!! ???

[Steve F]

Just an endorsement to SilverFox's comments on success with the Liber-t tag gizmo. My wife and I, on separate bikes, and with a tag gizmo each, used several toll Autoroutes en route from France to Switzerland on a recent tour. Likewise, we kept the tag gizmo in our hi-viz jacket pockets, and the toll barrier sensors picked them up everyone time. 100% success! Now that we've used the Liber-t tags on two separate journies through France this year, they will only cost us €6 maintenance fee for the year! I can thoroughly recommend them. Anything to avoid the faff of you or your pillion having to scrabble about with cash or cards at the toll plazas. Gotta be good!