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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | October 25, 2021 12:29 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Manuel Guzman, Jr. |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Ending the Lost Toll Revenue Issues |
| Last year, more than $104 million in tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike went uncollected after the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) chose to lay off nearly 500 employees and prematurely convert to all-electronic tolling. Reports have shown that nearly half of the motorists traveling on the Turnpike without an E-ZPass account passed through tolling facilities without being charged, making it clear that the Commission was not adequately prepared to roll out an all-electronic tolling model. Returning toll collectors to tolling facilities will be a crucial solution to preventing any further revenue loss. I will soon be introducing legislation that will bring back in-person toll collection during peak hours at all tolling facilities along the Turnpike. This policy will bring back a number of the jobs that were lost at the PTC during the COVID-19 Pandemic and will ensure that, at the times when it matters the most, every toll is collected. Electronic tolling is necessary and convenient, but as we have seen over the past year, it is not without issue. By offering both in-person toll collection and electronic tolling, the PTC will be able improve its electronic system during times when less Turnpike traffic is expected and put an end to insufficient revenue production. The premature decision to dismiss nearly 500 PTC employees in favor of full reliance on a flawed system contributed to both the unemployment crisis in the summer of 2020 and the exacerbation of financial issues that have plagued the severely indebted Commission. Please join me in holding the PTC accountable for their decisions and getting people back to work by reinstating in-person tolling during the Turnpike’s busiest hours. |
Introduced as HB2080