Pennsylvania Turnpike toll hikes take effect Sunday
Some “Toll By Plate” drivers will be paying a lot more as of this weekend.
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Drivers along the Pennsylvania Turnpike should plan to dig deeper in their pockets as of this weekend, especially those not using an E-ZPass.
A 6% toll increase, approved by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in July, begins Sunday and applies to E-ZPass and “Toll By Plate” users, a cashless system where drivers are charged later after scanning license plates with cameras. In addition, those using “Toll By Plate” will see a further 45% hike to “absorb” the cashless tolling system’s higher costs.
Six toll locations, including the Delaware River Bridge in the Philadelphia region, will be exempt from the steep 45% jump because increases were already in place. Those tolls served as pilots for the cashless system.
A typical E-ZPass passenger driver should expect to pay $1.60, a 10 cent increase, while those who choose “Toll By Plate” will pay $3.90, a steep $1.40 increase.
» READ MORE: Pennsylvania Turnpike toll collectors are blindsided by sudden layoff
An update to the turnpike’s smartphone app on Sunday will allow drivers to create an autopay account that would save them 15% on monthly “Toll By Plate” payments to “provide a measure of relief” to drivers “given the significantly higher rates,” Turnpike CEO Mark Compton said. About 86% of drivers use E-ZPass, according to the turnpike.
The turnpike points to its mandated payments to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation as its reason for toll increases. The turnpike sends $450 million annually to PennDot to help pay for public transportation. Of that, SEPTA receives about $178 million annually.
The turnpike had planned to go cashless in 2021 but blindsided workers by laying off 500 toll collectors and fare-collection personnel this summer. The agency cited fewer drivers and lessened revenue due to COVID, as well as virus health concerns, as reasons to push forward the layoffs.
Increases go into effect shortly after midnight Sunday, according to the turnpike. Its “toll calculator” can be viewed online to determine more precise costs.