Conversion to cashless produces no drop in traffic or revenue on 183A TR in Austin TX

An end to cash toll collection on the 183A tollroad northwest of Austin Texas hasn't discouraged motorists, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) reports. Traffic and revenue on the 183A is holding up well after two months of cashless open road tolling.

Toll collectors took cash tolls for the last time December 1 so there are now two full months of data with all-electronic tolling (AET).  January traffic as measured by paid transactions was 14.8% up on the previous corresponding period (Jan 2008), and December traffic was up 12.2% over PCP. These are roughly in line with numbers for previous months. The tollroad is in the so-called 'ramp-up' stage having only opened to traffic March 3 2007 and begun toll collection May 1. Drivers with TxTag transponders got 50% off through June of 2007.

Friday Dec 19 with all electronic tolling and 75,967 transactions was the all-time record. Revenues are doing somewhat better, being up 17.1% in January and 11.8% in December over PCP. Revenues are rising somewhat faster than transactions because violations are coming down. (REVISED 2009-02-09 since previous numbers got messed up. Editor)

Motorists on TX183A can pay by eGo sticker tag transponder known by the TxTag brand or they are video tolled which CTRMA calls Pay-by-Mail.

Currently about 86% of transactions are by transponder, leaving 14% video tolled.

Steve Pustelnyk, CTRMA spokesman tells us the 14% currently breaks down as follows:

- 2% to 3% non-reads most attributed to improper mounting

- 1% to 2% non-revenue vehicles - transit buses, police, fire etc

- 5% billed by mail and pay the first bill

- 5% billed but don't pay immediately so become violators

Under the CTRMA rules there is:

- 30 days to pay the video toll bill plus $1.00 processing fee

- if unpaid there is a notice of violation with a $15 late fee added  
and 30 days to pay

- if violation is unpaid there is a final notice and a second $15 
penalty with 30 days to pay

- unpaid final notices go to Collections where there is a further $30  
charge

- unpaid Collections are prioritized by amounts owing and taken to the  
local Justice of the Peace court

CTRMA is finding that 4 to 5% of mailed bills and notices are returned. Undeliverable because of wrong or dated motor registry addresses.

Enforcement action in the courts is only just starting with the first batch of ten leading violators - with unpaid bills, fees and penalties averaging $1,000 - being taken to court. These go back to the  
beginning of tolls and are flagrant violators who have violations at the former Park Street toll plaza where there was the opportunity to pay cash until Dec 1, 2008.

Once the pike gets the confidence of the court larger batches of violators will be turned over to the law.

“We have a responsibility to our paying customers to pursue the people who aren’t pay their fair share,” executive director Mike Heiligenstein is quoted. “Fortunately, modern technology allows us to identify violators and to seek recovery of the unpaid tolls.”

Prepaid cash facility being studied

CTRMA is looking at some kind of prepaid program as a third payment mode in which the motorist would proactively provide their license plate number and make and model at a discount from the billing and pay-by-mail. No decisions have been made however.

A decision was made in the run-up to cashless to attempt to maximize transponder usage and a prepaid video might have weakened that drive. CTRMA conducted a major campaign to increase transponder uptake including a 'scratch-&-win' game of luck with $7000 of toll credits to engage motorists in the campaign. About 12,500 extra tags were distributed as a result. Transponder tolling went from 83% before to 86% as a result.

This is regarded as close to saturation given that there will always be a proportion of very occasional users of the tollroad who won't go to the trouble of getting a transponder account. There are also people who don't have credit cards or debit bank accounts needed for a transponder account.

For these people some kind of an off-road cash facility may be needed where they avoid being billed by paying and entering their license plate number for video tolling.

TOLLROADSnews 2009-02-06

REVISIONS 2009-02-09 11:00