You are here

Tolling Points

June 22 Webinar Addresses Toll Violators and Violations

By: 
Bill Cramer
Category: 
Stories

It’s a problem that every tolling agency has in common, one that cuts into revenue and creates two separate classes of users—the vast majority who pay for the roads they use, and the small minority of scofflaws who don’t pay their way.

Of all the areas where agencies and vendors can learn from each other’s experience and best practices, toll violations are certainly one of the most important. And you can get the latest insights by signing up for Violators and Violations: The Eternal Tolling Challenge, a FREE one-hour webinar that IBTTA is hosting next Wednesday, June 22.

Toll Roads Take Action

A few months ago, we reported on several tolling agencies that were taking action on violations—and at least one news outlet that was cheering them on.

“Some of those who have gamed the system and skipped paying tolls will try to justify their law-breaking as some sort of rogue protest against high tolls. And some ordinary folks may sympathize,” the Staten Island Advance editorialized in late January. “We get the idea, but as [state] officials point out, it's those ordinary folks who are forced pick up the tab for those who are only too willing to sponge off law-abiding drivers.”

The reaction underscored something that IBTTA members already know: Drivers are far more likely to support tolling when they’re confident that charges are assessed fairly. And one of the best ways for agencies to ensure fairness is to contact the violators until they pay.

A Toll Violations Program That Works

One of the agencies represented on next week’s panel, the North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA), has already earned the IBTTA Toll Excellence Award for customer service and marketing outreach for its successful Toll Enforcement Remedies Program. The three-year crackdown was authorized in 2013 to reduce the nearly $50 million in unpaid tolls the agency was owed.

NTTA grounded the program in a commitment to fairness for the 92% of drivers who routinely travel and pay for their use of the agency’s roads, while establishing meaningful, predictable consequences for violators. It was built on a three-pronged strategy: public communications and outreach to target scofflaws, legislative education supported by key partnerships and alliances, and legislative action to formally define habitual violators, then block their vehicle registrations and/or ban them from toll roads until their tolls were paid.

The program exceeded expectations in its first year, producing a 50% reduction in habitual violators using toll roads. It collected more than $4.7 million in past due tolls, and the agency entered into payment plans worth another $4.4 million with 5,300 customers.

Learning from Each Other

In line with Coach Buddy Croft’s 2016 theme of People, Progress, and Partnerships, IBTTA’s webinar series is a great opportunity to pick up targeted, bite-sized pieces of usable industry knowledge. Join us for an hour June 22 to learn more about Violators and Violations: The Eternal Tolling Challenge

0 Comments

Be the first person to leave a comment!