Car rental companies and fleet management firms are to meet representatives of the National Roads Authority (NRA) to discuss their concerns about the new barrier-free tolling system on Dublin’s M50.

The representative body for the firms, the Vehicle Leasing Association of Ireland (VLAI), will host a breakfast seminar on August 7,with barrier-free tolling likely to feature high on the agenda.

The NRA, which was invited to attend the event by the VLAI, has said it will be sending a representative. The VLAI also plans to invite all the companies providing electronic tags under the new system to attend the meeting.

From August 30, the existing M50 toll plaza will be removed and replaced with a barrier-free electronic toll system. Car rental companies and fleet management firms have expressed concerns about how the new system will affect their businesses.

Michael Hegarty, general manager of the fleet management division at Hertz Lease and a member of the VLAI council, said: ‘‘Businesses will now be left with no alternative other than to register their fleets and incur all costs for use of the M50, regardless of whether it’s business or private use.”

He said companies that offered fleet management services could be left picking up the tab for trips on the M50 by their clients. He said the VLAI had also raised concerns with the NRA about difficulties that might arise in tracing the owner of the vehicle in the case of a change of ownership, registration cloning or stolen vehicles.

Hegarty said that the VLAI had had extended discussions with the NRA regarding their concerns about the new tolling system, and had found the NRA’s attitude to be ‘‘take it or leave it’’.

A spokesman for the NRA said it had spoken at length to car rental companies and fleet management firms to iron out issues with the new system. He said a system had been introduced to allow rental firms to register their fleet in bulk for convenience.