Linha Amarela toll evasion: Over 100 vehicles per hour bypass payments in Rio de Janeiro

The concessionaire Lamsa reports that more than 100 vehicles per hour attempt to pass through the automatic toll lanes of the Linha Amarela in Rio de Janeiro without paying. There are approximately 2,040 daily occurrences involving vehicles without an active TAG in the automatic lanes.

When the system fails to identify a valid TAG, the passage is blocked and an alarm is triggered. In these instances, staff direct drivers to a side area to complete the payment. Additionally, about 3,000 vehicles with blocked TAGs—due to overdue payments, credit card issues, or insufficient funds—use the automatic lanes daily.

Lamsa also noted instances of drivers attempting to bypass the system by tailgating the vehicle in front to slip through the barrier. The company warned that these evasion attempts cause economic losses and pose safety risks to other motorists. Since the start of the second semester, the reversible lane on the Linha Amarela has been exclusive to vehicles with an active TAG to improve traffic flow.