IBTTA Survey Points to Explosive Growth in Toll Technology

Nearly 20 million new toll transponders in just five years.

A 64% increase in new toll accounts, with nearly 13 million new users coming onboard.

A sharp decline in cash toll payments in favor of electronic payments.

A 76% increase in cashless toll transactions.

IBTTA’s Toll Technology Transforms Mobility for Customers Report was released last week, during the association’s 84^th Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Denver. The report tells the story of a dynamic, tech-savvy industry on the move.

“Today’s toll highways, bridges, and tunnels use more technology to speed transactions and enhance the motorist experience than a generation ago,” the survey report states. The Dallas North Tollway introduced America’s first electronic toll collection system 27 years ago, and “today’s toll facilities—highways, bridges, and tunnels—continue to transition from cash to All-Electronic Tolling (AET) and high tech transportation systems.”

A Nationwide Trend

The trend toward all-electronic tolling is sweeping the United States: The 36 agencies that responded to the 2016 Toll Technology Survey came from 18 states, from all regions of the country.

“Today, all toll roads in the state of Colorado use AET,” the survey report notes. “In Washington State, all toll facilities are AET with the exception of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. This October, Massachusetts plans to implement AET statewide. And, there are numerous other examples of toll facilities in cities across the U.S. that offer AET facilities.”

The results add up to some big numbers: Nearly 50 million transponders in use by more than 30 million toll customers across the U.S., a 52% increase in toll revenue, and a rapid drop in the proportion of toll users who still pay cash—from 29% in 2010 to 18% in 2015.

Everybody Wins

The 2016 Toll Technology Survey makes it clear that when all-electronic tolling thrives, everybody wins.

“As AET expands, people and goods travel more efficiently and the economy grows as a result,” the report states. “Across the United States, more and more agencies are turning to all-electronic tolling as a proven congestion-buster, delivering a safer, more predictable ride for users who absolutely have to reach their destination on time.”

Tolling is almost always a matter of customer choice—drivers can decide whether to take the toll road or use the general purpose lanes. “But AET has established itself as a cornerstone of highway operators’ effort to speed up traffic, by funding new lanes and drawing volume away from the general purpose lane,” the report states.

To learn more, read the press release, view the full report, Toll Technology Transforms Mobility for Customers or contact Bill Cramer, Communications Director at [email protected].