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So today I was an idiot and trusted my GPS, which led me straight to a toll road.
Yay, I never carry cash. So they're like "no we don't take cards." They printed out an IOU and I had to mail it to them.
Okay. Seriously? This is 2015. We have Square. We have credit cards everywhere. I don't use tolls like ever (rules out EZ Pass), but when I do, and get stuck without money, there should be be a way to just whip out a debit card, punch in my number, and move on. Instead, I get hassled while they take down my number, print the thing, I sign it. If the interest is in saving time, having more people, etc. no matter what way you look at it, I can see no real benefit for not updating the system. Please tell me not all toll gates are this backwards. This was a "full service" gate.
If you're gonna highway rob me, at least be good at it. Thoughts?
Parts of Florida do 'toll by plate' where if you don't have a Sunpass transponder, they take a picture of your license plate and mail a bill to the address on file for that plate at the end of the month. The down side of this is that you will be charged like an $8 'convenience fee' per monthly statement in addition to the $1 toll for that road segment.
It's designed to push you into buying a $5 transponder sticker and then keeping a minimal amount of money in your Sunpass account rather than doing toll by plate, which admittedly has about a 10% failure rate for reading license plates.
It won't be long until these 'stop to pay' toll plazas are obsolete. Most new toll roads are going with all-electronic and bill-by-mail toll collection. It eliminates the need to slow (which vastly helps traffic flow) and they're cheaper to operate and maintain. The plazas either read the EZ Pass (or similar) transponder or take a photo of the license plate and mail a bill.
Please tell me not all toll gates are this backwards. This was a "full service" gate.
The answer is int he establishment of the toll road. In some jurisdictions, they are required by law to collect a toll of $X based on type of vehicle. This may be in their appropriations authorization, bonding documents, or some other form of revenue collection. Because of this, they are prohibited by law from accepting any payment that is not the full net amount of the toll authorized by law. Credit and debit carry a payment from the gross amount collected on a per transaction bases that results in a net amount that is not allowed by law. Often, "Pass" services work on a fee to holder and/or a lower overall transaction fee (they impose a transaction fee based on the gross amount collected as part of the toll payment not set and variables based on each individual transaction). They also may operate ancillary services (collections, marketing, etc) resulting in more revenue to offset the lower transaction fee. And, there is always the 'just don't want to offer it' possibility.
If the road really wants fast pass through, they may just make any reason to stop a hardship for the driver so they do use the automated systems.
Last week in the Dominican Republic, we decided to drive from Punta Cana to Higuey for the day. Unbeknownst to us, and not indicated on the map we were given, the road was a toll-road. By the time we saw the sign indicating tolls ahead, there was no turn-around.....and we had no DR pesos, only US dollars! We pulled up to a Dominican military/police guy with an M4 watching us while silently praying that they would take US dollars. The lady was very nice and DID take our dollars, although it cost us an additional $1.50-2.00 over what it would have cost if we had any pesos. Oh well.....better than the alternative!
I think anyone can buy an EZpass, just in case...it's linked to a credit card. And, I always try to have a couple bucks in change in the car....just in case!
That's one of the first things they taught me in driver's ed.
Change? Are you kidding? The toll bridge on US-40 in Havre de Grace, Maryland is now $8. It requires 32 (nearly a whole roll) of the largest coins in circulation. And most toll baskets reject 50c and $1 coins. No, wait, they just keep them but refuse credit for them. I threw a half-dollar in a basket near Orlando, lost my money, and the gate didn't to up until I searched under the seat for a few more coins. No attendant, of course -- that's the beauty of it, they steal your money and don't even use it to create jobs.
Last edited by jtur88; 01-23-2015 at 07:30 AM..
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