Daily News Briefs, July 31, 2024

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TransCore Receives Contract To Modernize Toll System For Four Metro Philadelphia Bridges

TransCore announced it was awarded the contract to design, build, and maintain a new tolling system for the four metro Philadelphia bridges owned and operated by the bistate Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA). TransCore will install a replacement system that combines its Encompass® 6 Multiprotocol reader with the firm’s Vehicle Capture and Recognition System (VCARS) and Vehicle Classification and Tracking System (VCATS) to “enable more seamless travel across DRPA bridges.” The advanced technology will provide “an innovative image-based solution that leverages TransCore’s artificial intelligence software to accurately detect, track, classify, and then optimally process vehicle transactions from low-profile overhead enclosures.” Since installing DRPA’s current electronic collection system in 1999, TransCore has provided ongoing maintenance and periodic upgrades. Whitt Hall, the firm’s president and CEO commented, “DRPA has been a close partner for nearly three decades. . . . We take pride in providing long-term value and service excellence to our customers and are excited for the opportunity to continue supporting DRPA’s mission through world class tolling technology and service for many more years.”

DRPA started procurement of an ETC system upgrade in 2022. It eventually shortlisted TransCore and four other major system providers. According to DRPA’s website, the TransCore contract has a multiyear term and the toll system project has a $51.5 million budget.

Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) ETC Systems New Jersey Pennsylvania Philadelphia PA Metro Area Procurement of Tolling Equipment & Services TransCore

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MTA To Slash Late Payment Fees

Gothamist reports, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board is expected today to finalize a change that cuts the fine from $100 to $50 for drivers who don’t pay for their crossings on the Bronx-Whitestone, Triborough, Throgs Neck and Verrazzano-Narrows Bridges, and the Queens-Midtown and Brooklyn-Battery Tunnels. The change was mandated by compromise state legislation aimed at curbing toll evasion, legislation that also allows the state to revoke the vehicle registrations of chronic toll scofflaws. An MTA spokesperson said the new penalty structure brings the agency’s fines into alignment with fines issued by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. “David Moretti, a former executive vice president of MTA Bridges and Tunnels, said the reduction of the fines is likely intended to encourage more scofflaws to actually pay their fines.”

In April, a news release from the New York governor’s office (scroll down to “Equitably Combatting Toll and Fare Evasion”) and a Gothamist article summarized the changes effected through recent toll evasion legislation.

AET (All-Electronic Tolling) ETC Systems Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York New York City Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Scofflaws

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E-ZPass Service Corporation Seeks Applicants For Business Manager Position

The IAG Service Corporation, which provides administrative and operational support for the toll entities that participate in the E-ZPass program, announced a job opening for a business manager (a remote work position). Specific duties include: preparing and maintaining the annual budget; managing the third-party participant and non-toll opportunities programs; overseeing invoicing, member payments and on-call contracts; and compiling data. The position also entails leading some IAG initiatives, collaborating with various E-ZPass committees, and serving as the primary office manager backup. See the job announcement for complete information about the position and candidate qualifications. Persons interested in applying should send a letter of interest and current resume to jobs@e-zpassiag.com no later than August 16, 2024.

E-ZPass ETC Systems

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PayByCar And E-ZPass Expand Transponder-Enabled Non-Toll Payments Pilot

NJ.com reports, a pilot that originated in Massachusetts to enable drivers to pay for fuel and parking via their E-ZPass transponders will soon expand to all 19 states that comprise the E-ZPass Group. The service, called Driven by E-ZPass, “reduces the opportunity for fraud from card skimmers or other devices and cuts the transaction time at gas stations in half,” according to PayByCar, Inc., the mobile payments innovator. A final list of participating gas stations and parking facilities will be released in the coming months, but the company already is in discussions with over 100 gas stations in New Jersey. Discussions with multi-state parking operators also are ongoing, and pilots are underway in Albany, NY, Baltimore, and Atlanta.

The article and a PayByCar-E-ZPass Group joint news release explain how the opt-in service works by sending a text message to an E-ZPass account holder’s phone when the transponder is recognized at a participating gas station or parking facility. Transactions are charged independently to the payment card on file with the transponder account.

E-ZPass ETC Systems Mobile Payment Systems PayByCar Transponder RFID Technology

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These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.

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