The Future of Tolling
Are today’s tollways truly efficient?
Ideally, all vehicles passing under a tolling gantry are either prepaid or are outfitted with a functioning transponder that pays their toll in full. Every passing vehicle can seamlessly provide payment for the toll road it’s traveling on, helping agencies and states reach revenue goals. In turn, agency workers are free to focus their time on more pressing tasks. The reality of revenue recognition is markedly different. Many of the vehicles passing through electronic tolling roads are either not prepaid or don’t have a transponder, so it’s up to agencies to identify their license plate numbers and send a bill to the correct address. This process can be cumbersome for back offices: Without automation, toll workers must manually record plate numbers and send out bills — a slow process that often results in backlogs that can lead to agencies missing billing deadlines.
