Pa. Turnpike drivers without E-ZPass face 45% higher tolls next year

Turnpike travelers who have not made the switch to E-ZPass will face a hefty increase in the cost of tolls beginning next year.

The 45% average increase for drivers who use the toll-by-plate option is necessary to cover the high cost of collecting those tolls, Pennsylvania Turnpike Chief Executive Mark Compton said Tuesday.

Approval of the rate increase came in addition to the usual 6% annual increase for all turnpike travelers. Taken together, the increases mean a 10-cent increase for passenger vehicles using E-ZPass, from $1.50 to $1.60, for the most common toll and more than a dollar for non-users, from $2.50 to $3.90.

The new rates take effect Jan. 3.

Toll-by-plate drivers — who receive a bill for their toll in the mail rather than passing cash or using an E-ZPass — previously paid the same rate as cash users. The Turnpike Commission suspended cash payments at the start of the covid-19 pandemic as a way to reduce contact between drivers and toll workers. The commission decided in May that the cashless system would remain in place.

The move to an all-electronic system resulted in 500 layoffs last month, most of whom were toll collectors.

Compton said in a statement that collecting tolls by mail is a costlier undertaking, and thus those drivers incur costlier tolls.

“This balanced approach allows us to maintain a lower rate for those choosing a payment method that is less costly to manage, while those who choose a pricier payment option absorb those costs,” he said.

Compton said about 86% of turnpike customers already use E-ZPass, which is accepted in most states in the eastern part of the country. He urged those who don’t utilize it to make the switch.