Georgia's state toller offers mobile phone 'app' for account management on Express Lanes

Georgia State toll authority (SRTA) is offering free applications (apps) for iPhones and Android mobile phones that allow motorists to register their occupancy/toll eligibility. Users of Express Lanes who normally pay tolls because there are insufficient people in the vehicle use the app to signal they have the eligibility for toll-free rides on occasions they do have the three bodies required.

The PEACH PASS GO! app as it is called allows the same access to the electronic toll account on the mobile device - iPads are also supported - as is available with a PC online including use of the same username and password. It also allows and to check the standing of their account on the fly.

In E-ZPass country there is now a 'switchable' transponder marketed under the brand-name E-ZPass Flex. The mobile phone app offers a similar option for on-the-fly registering of occupancy/toll status with sticker tags such as the 6Bs and 6Cs used in the south.

Indeed it could be used with regular non-switchable hardbodied transponders as well.

The app does have a distracted driver check feature. The user has to say they aren't driving while using the app. If they don't agree they aren't driving the app shuts down.

Idea is for PEACH PASS GO! to be used by the driver before driving away or by one of the passengers in the car while driving.

SRTA Executive Director Gena L. Evans is quoted in a  statement today: "We're extremely pleased and excited to provide our customers with this new and convenient way of accessing their Peach Pass account and changing their toll mode. Now changing your toll mode can be done with a few taps on your mobile device and confirmation of your toll mode change appears in seconds."

Next bigger step is making toll payments by mobile app

Several vendors are working on the big step of offering mobile apps that allow establishment of an account and payment of the toll via your mobile phone keyed to your license plate number. Entering your license plate before or immediately after a trip.

Such a PayPalToll will involve the motorist providing PayPal or bank card details to allow the toller to be paid electronically based on a transaction generated by the image obtained from gantry-mounted cameras and optical character recognition of the vehicle.

This will avoid the costly work associated with image based tolling of motor registry database searches, sending the bill in the mail, and tracking non-payment with further mailings.

By bringing the costs of image-based tolling down to the level of transponder transactions - without requiring the issue of a transponder - it will help all-electronic tollers (AET) to serve non-account holders much more efficiently than at present.

And for motorists it will provide a third option to AET's present two choices of having a transponder or paying a bill in the mail.

see:

http://www.peachpass.com

how the PEACH PASS GO! works:

http://www.peachpass.com/uploads/FinalPeachPass_MobileApp_Tutorial_01181...

see E-ZPass Flex to be offered for the 495 Express Lanes on the Capital Beltway:

http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/5691

TOLLROADSnews 2012-01-20