The
E-ZPass mobile van outside Market Basket Friday afternoon.
As the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) moves forward with plans for All Electronic Tolling (AET) implementation on the Tobin Bridge, the agency’s mobile E-Z Pass van has been visiting Chelsea to encourage drivers to enroll in the program. The van made an appearance outside Market Basket the previous Friday.
The mobile unit allows prospective participants to open an E-ZPass account, receive activated transponders immediately, and gain information about electronic tolling options throughout the northeast region. Those already enrolled in E-ZPass can modify their account details, buy additional transponders, get Velcro strips, or obtain Mylar No-Read bags for their devices.
“With the implementation of this innovative form of toll collection we are saying to our customers that their time is valuable,” stated MassDOT Secretary & CEO Richard A. Davey. “We are also increasing safety and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by cutting congestion and the time spent idling at the cash booth.”
Starting in early 2014, drivers will lose the ability to pull up to a toll booth and pay cash for crossing the Tobin Bridge. Instead, electronic collection will occur through one of two methods: using an E-ZPass transponder or through license plate recognition, which generates a bill mailed to the vehicle owner. A contractor has been hired to construct the overhead gantry collection system, and preparations for technical back-office operations are underway.
Throughout the past year, MassDOT has promoted E-ZPass enrollment ahead of this changeover by deploying a new mobile registration vehicle on the road this summer to target motorists who currently pay with cash.
Even after transponders and electronic toll collection became available in the late 1990s, many Tobin Bridge users have continued paying with cash. During 2012 alone, 4.1 million cash transactions occurred on the Tobin Bridge, averaging more than 11,000 daily.
For additional details, visit www.Mass.gov/EZPassMA.