CARBON COUNTY, Pa. — Every day thousands of drivers pass through the Pennsylvania Turnpike toll booths near Lake Harmony. All are supposed to pay to get on the toll road, but some don't.
According to the Turnpike Commission, the amount of uncollected turnpike tolls went up from $105 million to $155 million in the past year.
The information is included in the commission's financial report from May 31.
The commission switched to a cashless, all-electronic payment system two years ago.
"I'm not surprised that people are not paying the bills just because it's like really hard times right now with inflation and everything going on," Kelly Torres said.
The Turnpike does not have much trouble collecting tolls from drivers who use E-ZPass.
The issue with uncollected tolls comes from drivers who don't.
To collect fees from those drivers, the Turnpike relies on a system called Toll by Plate. Cameras at toll booths take a picture of the vehicle's license plate and then bill the owner through the mail.
"You are receiving these bills in the mail, and then you don't know what to do with these fees. $50 fee for each toll, so it's a big issue. It's a big problem that they should resolve," David Lovera said.
The commission says the increase is caused by tolls and driving going up, not because people aren't paying their bills.
According to the Turnpike, the percentage of drivers who aren't paying tolls has remained steady at about seven percent.
The commission cites several reasons for the increased uncollected tolls over the past year.
- Traffic has returned to pre-pandemic levels, meaning more transactions are happening.
- Tolls increased by five percent two years in a row.
- Additional 45 percent increase in Toll by Plate fees.
"As far as the times right now, I feel like people, they're trying to prioritize what's most important. So, hey, it could be buying a gallon of milk or paying your E-ZPass of $3 or whatever it is. So I can definitely understand the dilemma. But to just not pay it and be splurging out there is probably not the best idea," said Torres.
The turnpike Commissions say it tries to minimize the number of unpaid tolls by using collection agencies, suspending motor vehicle registrations, and even filing criminal charges against those who don't pay.
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