PA Turnpike Approves 45 Percent Toll Hike For Non-E-ZPass Drivers

HARRISBURG, PA — Drivers on the Pennsylvania Turnpike who don't have E-ZPass will pay 45 percent more starting January, after the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission approved rate increases Tuesday.

The commission approved toll increases for both E-ZPass and Toll By Plate customers. Starting Jan. 3, tolls for E-Pass customers will go up six percent. Fees for Toll By Plate will increase more drastically — by 45 percent.

The PA Turnpike no longer accepts cash or credit cards after having permanently converting to the All-Electronic Toll method collection last month. The transition to cashless meant layoffs for 500 employees, the Turnpike said in June.

The most common toll for a passenger vehicle will increase from $1.50 to $1.60 for E-ZPass customers and from $2.50 to $3.90 for those with Toll by Plate.

The most common toll for a Class-5 tractor trailer will increase from $12.20 to $13 for E-ZPass and from $17.30 to $26.60 for PA Turnpike Toll by Plate customers.

The new Toll by Plate rate will not be applied at six interchanges:

• Beaver Valley Expressway (I-376);
• Delaware River Bridge (NJ border);
• Gateway Toll Plaza (Ohio border);
• Greensburg Bypass (PA Turnpike 66);
• Keyser Ave. and Clarkes Summit Tolls (Northeastern Extension); and
• Southern Beltway (PA Turnpike 576).

The increase reflects the costs of collections for the Toll by Plate fee collection method, Turnpike officials said.

“The new Toll by Plate rate reflects the higher costs the Commission incurs to process the toll and collect payment — a pricing approach used by tolling agencies across the nation to cover the costs of administering AET systems,” said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton.

With the PA Turnpike Toll by Plate option, high-speed cameras capture license-plate images as vehicles pass by. The registered owner receives an invoice for trips made through the tolling point. Invoices can be paid online, by phone or by mail.

“Currently, 86 percent of our customers have chosen E-ZPass, with more switching every day. Now that hundreds of grocery stores in the commonwealth offer E-ZPass, chances are you regularly pass by at least one of them,” Compton said. “Because of our low administration and enrollment fees, and the ability to set up an automatically replenished or cash-funded E-ZPass account, there’s simply no reason not to get it."