BRITS POS – BRITS - For many families, the festive season road trip is the start of their holiday fun.
This year, Bakwena Platinum Corridor Concessionaire (Bakwena) is once again committed to making travel along the N1 and N4 as safe, efficient and stress-free as possible.
With traffic volumes expected to rise sharply, Bakwena encourages all road users to plan ahead. The information below will help ensure a smoother journey during the busy holiday period.
Easier, Faster Payments at Toll Plazas
Bakwena now offers contactless payments across the entire N1N4 route, in line with the latest banking regulations and toll industry standards.
As of September 2025, the former offline card system or magstripe swipe payment has been fully replaced with a secure online “tap-and-go” payment system or EMV.
EMV is a global standard for payment cards that uses an embedded microprocessor chip instead of a magnetic stripe to make transactions more secure (the card stays in the road user’s possession during transactions, reducing the risk of card skimming and fraudulent toll payments). The acronym stands for Europay, Mastercard and Visa, the companies that developed the standard.
EMV facilitates immediate bank verification, which now includes payment with a debit card. Bakwena no longer accepts a magstripe swipe payment with the exception of fleet/garage/petrol cards.
Bakwena - Accepted Toll Payment Methods include:
• Debit and credit cards (ensure tap-enabled and have the required funds available)
• Smartphones and wearables using Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Wallet
• Cash
• SANRAL Tag
Tag Top-Up Facilities
Motorists using SANRAL tags are urged to top up before travelling. Tag services are available at:
• N1 Total Panorama Petroport
• Total Waverley (14 Stormvoël Road, Kilnerpark)
• Bakwena Hatfield Tag Office (420 Festival Street, Hatfield, Pretoria)
• N4 Total Magalies Petroport
• N4 Shell Ultra City (East)
• N4 Shell Platinum (Rustenburg)
• Swartruggens (20 Andries Pretorius Street)
• SANRAL Customer Service Centres, EFT, and the SANRAL App
To ensure the safest and most efficient travel experience, the following can be expected on the Bakwena N1N4 Route over the festive season:
1. Full staff deployment and lane optimisation
• All toll plaza lanes are fully staffed during peak travel times.
• Toll plaza lanes are optimised where required to support the direction of highest traffic flow.
2. Partnerships and visible policing
In collaboration with partners such as Motus/Renault South Africa, and law enforcement Bakwena supports:
• Additional patrol vehicles for 24/7 surveillance, quicker response to incidents and improved traffic flow.
• Roadblocks and targeted safety operations focusing on roadworthiness, overloading, licensing and alcohol checks.
3. No construction during peak holiday period.
• From 13 December 2025 to mid-January 2026, no construction work or construction work lane closures will take place on the N1N4 route to maintain smooth traffic flow.
Plan your journey around peak travel times
To avoid congestion, motorists are encouraged to travel outside these expected busy periods:
December 2025
• 12, 15, 19, 24 and 31 December: 12:00 – 21:00
• 13 and 20 December: 06:00 – 15:00
January 2026
• 4 and 11 January: 12:00 – 21:00
In an emergency
• 24/7 Customer Care/Emergency Line: 0800 BAKWENA (0800 225 9362)
• Use the nearest blue kilometre marker boards to confirm your exact location when requesting help.
