CTRMA

A major innovation by an Austin Texas start-up company BancPass formed by toll industry veterans will allow motorists to pay tolls by mobile phone. Brandnamed PToll, it serves occasional users of tollroads, people who don't find it worthwhile to establish a transponder account, giving them the convenience of using the highspeed electronic lanes - the open road tolling - without the hassle of a transponder account.

Central Texas RMA are increasing tolls 15% at their Park Street mainline toll point Jan 1. Transponder or TxTag tolls rise from $1.35 to $1.55 while camera-based tolls for non-transponder equipped vehicles - Pay By Mail they call it there - goes from $1.80 to $2.07.

Mike Heiligenstein, executive director of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, the Austin area public toll authority writes that Americans need to be more open to a variety of ways of financing and managing highways, including business or private tolling.

An end to cash toll collection on the 183A tollroad northwest of Austin Texas hasn't discouraged motorists, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA) reports. Traffic and revenue on the 183A is holding up well after two months of cashless open road tolling.

Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority board have voted to eliminate cash toll collection on their 183A toll road northwest of Austin by the end of 2008. The decision is expected to save the agency more than $1 million annually in operating costs.

Central Texas RMA, operator of the 183A tollroad northwest of Austin TX is moving to implement video tolling, as a first step toward giving up cash collection. They expect to begin sending out video toll bills in March or April. Cash collection will continue for now.

The move to video tolling was endorsed by the board of directors of the CTRMA today.

Central Texas may be a hotbed of anti-toll activism but motorists there love the tollroads. Traffic and revenue on the four pikes that have opened this year is way above expectations. In six months on the 183A tollroad they are meeting third year traffic and revenue forecasts.