Politics & Government

Turnpike Commission Approves 2012 Toll Increase

Cash tolls will increase by 10 percent, with E-ZPass tolls to stay the same.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission approved a 2012 rate plan that includes a 10 percent toll increase for cash-paying customers but no rate increase for those who pay with E-ZPass, according to a release.

“Implementing a cash-only toll increase generates the revenue we need to satisfy our annual funding obligation to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and it encourages more travelers to sign up for E-ZPass,” Turnpike Commission Chief Executive Officer Roger E. Nutt said in the statement.

On January 1, 2012, cash rates will be increased by 10 percent. The increase will be applied to all vehicle classes on all turnpike sections in the area. With the new rates, the most-common cash toll for passenger vehicles will increase from $1.10 to $1.25, while the most-common cash toll for a standard commercial-truck classification (Class 5) will rise from $8.95 to $9.85.

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According to the release, the commission’s cost to handle a cash transaction is about four times more expensive than the cost of processing an E-ZPass transaction; it costs the commission about $1 per transaction to collect a cash toll, and less than 25 cents per transaction to collect tolls electronically by E-ZPass.

Clearly, the commission has both economic and customer-service reasons to encourage customers to switch to E-ZPass, and that’s why we decided to sweeten the incentive,” Turnpike Chairman William K. Lieberman said in a statement. “Collecting tolls electronically is not only safer, faster and more convenient for customers, but it also reduces the commission’s annual operating costs.”

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