Open road tolling has been in effect for over a month, prompting the first wave of bills from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and drivers may notice changes in how they look, writes Erin McCarthy for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Highway officials announced that the changes are legit, especially as the unpaid-toll scam texts continue to circulate.
Customers driving east of Reading or on the Northeast Extension of the Turnpike are “going to see more charges on their statement,” said Marissa Orbanek, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. “There are more smaller transactions.”
This is caused by all E-ZPass and toll-by-plate customers being charged electronically each time they drive underneath gantries instead of at toll plazas.
Around 86 percent of trips on the Pennsylvania Turnpike are made using E-ZPass. The rest are billed via toll-by-plate, with the invoice then sent out to the car owner.
The number of charges for smaller amounts has increased for both types of customers.
Orbanek also emphasized that the Turnpike still does not text its customers about unpaid tolls and these texts are scams.
“We will never text you about unpaid tolls,” she said.
Read more about the changes in how Pennsylvania Turnpike bills in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
_____
