First, a little more about the road toll. The regulations on road tolls in Europe are varied and very different. Here are a few examples based on the countries you will probably be driving through. If you have any further questions - yes, there are many more different toll regulations in small Europe - please let me know.
Great Britain
So, you're arriving in GB, so let's look at that first. In GB there is no nationwide toll. In some cases, individual sections of road, such as tunnels and bridges, are subject to a charge. Some cities have a congestion charge as we know it from other European cities. Some of these charges have to be paid online (e.g. internet, telephone) within a time window. Pay attention: A special feature is a section of the M6, where there is a toll regulation. You can pay the toll at the respective toll stations in cash or by credit card. It is also possible to obtain an electronic transmitter in the UK. You have to rent this for a fee and top it up with prepaid credit. This tag is attached to the windshield. Probably only useful if you visit the island frequently. That´s the regulation as far as I know and experienced it. Maybe some of our members in the UK can ad something?
Germany
Widely toll-free in Germany. There is a general highway toll for commercial goods traffic for vehicles and such vehicle combinations. In the past this was for rigs with a maximum gross vehicle weight of 7.5 tons or more. Recently there was a change regarding this. Now the maximum technical gross weight is decisive, which can be higher than the currently maximum gross weight. From July, the limit will be lowered to 3.5 tons. However, the toll obligation still only applies to vehicles that are used commercially, not to RVs. The problem is that many big overlanding rigs are not recognizable as RVs, so that they will be recorded by the automatic toll collection. It is therefore advisable to register the vehicle with the
toll operator in advance. There are also a few small local exceptions, such as tunnels and car loading on train or little ferries, for which tolls are charged on site.
Switzerland
For your vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of up to 3.5 tons, you need a vignette on the Swiss highways and some other roads. A vignette costs you 40 Swiss francs once - i.e. around 40 euros - and is valid from December 1 of a year until the end of January of the following year. It is available as an adhesive and electronic vignette. There is also a mileage-based toll for heavier vehicles in Switzerland. You pay this so-called heavy vehicle charge with the Via app or in the Via portal. It´s very comfortable and I guess you need this for the bus.
Austria
In Austria, there is a general toll on freeways and expressways for all vehicles up to 3.5 tons gross vehicle weight. To pay the road toll, you can choose between the familiar adhesive vignette and a digital version. There are annual, two-month and 10-day vignettes. One advantage of the digital version is that you can even use it for up to three vehicles. The sticker version is usually available at the last petrol stations and service stations before the border or the digital version can be purchased
online from the operator in advance. On some Alpine routes, there is also the so-called route toll, which must be paid separately for the respective section; the aforementioned vignette does not apply here. The tickets for using these routes can be paid for at the toll station or purchased in the operator's online store mentioned above. Some other pass roads and tunnels are also subject to tolls. An example of this is the
Grossglockner High Alpine Road, which is very scenic and worth to drive (but not that cheap, especially for a big rig). Here, day passes can be purchased at the respective toll station before the ascent. Some of these routes can also be paid for in advance of the journey online. For vehicles over 3.5 tons gross vehicle weight, a mileage-based toll applies in Austria. This requires a separate device for the vehicle, for example the so-called Go-Box. You will probably need this for your bus. You have to buy it in advance, the process is not that easy as far as I have heard, for example you have to proof the data by sending a scan of your vehicle documents after purchase again, etc. Maybe someone here has practical experience with that?
France
Many toll roads in France. The highway network in France is operated by various companies. These charge a road toll on many routes, while some stretches - often around cities - are free. Payment is made at a toll stations. CFredit card payment possible, so there is no need to fiddle around with cash (as it is still often the case in some countries in Europe). The costs depend on a combination of the distance travelled and the category your vehicle falls into. In some cases, you pay the toll as a standard sum for a section of the route or you have to take a ticket at a toll station, which is scanned again at the end of the section or exit and you pay for the route. You can avoid stopping at the toll stations for payment if you use one of the approved toll systems, as you can use the lanes marked with télépéage at the toll stations. USsefull when you go more often through the countries using the systems. In addition to the highways, there is often a toll for the use of various tunnels and bridges. There are also private sections with online payment and automatic pay stations, it´s called freeflow system.
Spain
Good news. In Spain, many highway routes are now toll-free since a couple of years again. The toll collection on the paid stretches works in a similar way to France, either at toll stations in cash or by credit card, toll ttransponders or there are free-flow routes.
Italy
In Italy, tolls are charged on highways, tunnels, mountain passes and railroad loading as well as some entrances to cities. There is a special feature in the classification of vehicles in Italy, where the height of the front axle (1.3 meters and above) is decisive. I guess sometjing for you bus. For payment, you will find similar systems than in France or Spain.
As you can see, there are many different systems. I hope this gives you a good overview for now. Maybe I have forgotten or overlooked something and maybe other members have additions? That would be great.
Then there are the emission zones, especially in cities. I'll write something about that. If you like, you can send me your emission data from the vehicle documents via PN, then I'll see if I can find out what corresponds to this in the EU and see if you are allowed to enter these zones, e.g. in Germany,. Maybe we can forget about that anyway. In my opinion it makes more sense anyway to look for a nice camping spot outside the cities with such a large vehicle and then explore a city by public transport.
I have not found anything regarding special regulations on emission values for the Mont Blanc Tunnel. However, the Tunnel du Frejus does. There you should fall into class 3 I think and then the question is whether you are classified as a truck (limited to modern Euro 5 and 6 emission classes, which your bus will not reach I think) or as a bus, because all classes are allowed for buses. Strangely I don't see any RV class for RVs higher than 3m. That interests me now, I'll try to find out something.
