PA Mulling Bringing Back Pennsylvania Turnpike Tollbooth Workers

HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania Turnpike could return to some in-person toll collecting under legislation about to be introduced in the state House. Rep. Manny Guzman of Berks County wants to have tollbooth workers during peak hours to prevent motorists without an E-ZPass from riding toll-free.

The move comes after the turnpike lost some $104 million to unpaid tolls in 2020 as millions of motorists without E-ZPass never paid through the state's license plate camera system.

“We lost more than $104 million in turnpike tolls last year due to a flawed, all-electronic tolling system. That is unacceptable,” Guzman said.

“The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission laid off nearly 500 tollbooth workers and prematurely converted to an all-electronic system,resulting in this catastrophic loss. The commission needs to be held accountable.”

Guzman is suggesting a hybrid system that would bring back tollbooth workers during peak hours for traffic volume while improvements are made to the electronic system.

“The benefits of a functioning all-electronic system are undeniable,” he said. “However, last year’s blunder demonstrated that the commission needs more time to develop a working system.”

About 11 million trips without tolls occurred on the turnpike last year, according to an internal turnpike report obtained by the Associated Press.

After eliminating in-person toll collection last year, a 45 percent rate increase was implemented for non-E-ZPass drivers. E-ZPass tolls accounted for over $1 billion of the turnpike commission's $1.3 billion total tolls collected in 2020.

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