Ohio Turnpike E-ZPass doing "way better" - exec-director

E-ZPass electronic tolling is doing "way better" on the Ohio Turnpike, the executive-director George Distel tells us six days after the October 1 start-up. "Each day we're improving. We've had a range of problems to solve, equipment not working quite right, lane designations not balanced, motorists getting confused and being in the wrong lanes. It's pretty typical of a start-up I think, but each day we're managing it better."

Distel said that E-ZPass usage was a bit lower than they'd expected, especially among trucks. That was one reason they initially had too many lanes for transponder-only. But the rate is inching up and is now around 30%.

Distel says based on heavy enrollments since they opened electronic tolling (ET) the rate will continue to rise.

He cited examples of people who didn't know about the toll discount with a transponder compared to cash or card.

"We advertised, we did signs, we got media coverage (for the ET discount) but some people only get it after it's happened and they show up."

The toll differential is quite substantial. For cars traveling the full 234 miles, 377km of the Turnpike the cash or card toll is now $15, while an E-ZPass transponder gets them the trip for $10.25.

For a big double trailer rig the transponder gets them hit $75 v cash or credit card $85.

Distel said if he had to do the electronic toll transition over again the one thing he'd change would be to choose the quietest day of the week for the startup.

Thursday was a mistake

"I wouldn't do it on a Thursday again. That's our busiest day," he said.

On busy days there is less of a cushion for error in lane designations, and there's more trouble more quickly from a motorist in the wrong lane.

Backups grow quickly on busy days.

Many startups are done in the early hours of a Sunday morning.

Hole in donut filled

But Distel says he's excited that "we've filled the hole in the donut."

That's a reference to Ohio pre-Sept 30 as the one place without electronic tolling between Chicago and the east coast.

TOLLROADSnews 2009-10-07