May 7, 2009
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News: Why No Tollbooth CC System
Most daily travelers along our nation’s toll way systems know the convenience of owning an easy pay transmitter to avoid making stops at tollbooths. Having the convenience of a transmitter also means the individual doesn’t have to worry about having any cash on hand. Toll systems across the county offer the gadgets where the consumer sets up an account that can automatically deduct a specified lump sum from their debit or credit card. The tollbooth machine flashes a notification to the driver when the account is low and then initiates the transaction for the driver’s designated amount. The system works well; but for those individuals who rarely use the toll ways, having the transmitter is of little value. Drivers want to know why they can use their credit cards for virtually any travel expense except at the tollbooths. Other countries including France, Italy, and Spain take credit cards at their highway system tollbooths. The service is a valuable convenience for foreign travelers who don’t understand the native language.
Peter DeMarco, of the Boston Globe Newpaper checked the situation out and found that very few tollbooths in the U.S. accept the cards and those that do are at stopping points where the convenience has very little affect. Neil Gray, Director of Government Affairs for the International Bridge, Tunnel & Turnpike Association, told Mr. DeMarco that credit cards aren’t popular because tollbooth machines have difficulty reading the magnetic strips. He further stated maintenance is also a problem and when required the only way to do the work is by shutting down the toll lane. Further, Gray stated there is always the added concern about credit card fraud when tollbooth operators handle the card.
Ohio is currently testing the credit card processing at some of its tollbooths and say the payment option is very popular with drivers. In fact, they are planning to triple the number of machines in operation by the end of the year. In spite of the obstacles involved, it just might be that we could see more states following Ohio’s lead.