- Kansas Turnpike Gets Editorial Praise For Preparing Customers For Cashless Tolling
- Caltrans Issues Call For Volunteers For New Road-Use-Charge Pilot
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Kansas Turnpike Gets Editorial Praise For Preparing Customers For Cashless Tolling
The Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) informed customers about final steps leading to the authority’s launch of the new DriveKS cashless tolling system on Monday, July 1. Drivers were told:
- Beginning June 29, self-service platforms, including paykta.com and the myktag website and mobile app will be disabled to prepare for the conversion.
- Cash customers traveling on the turnpike overnight on June 30-July 1 should follow the instructions of on-road personnel and signage when exiting.
- Conversion of the roadside part of the system will occur quickly, early on July 1, but it will take about a week to complete the conversion of back-office components.
- KTA’s three customer service centers will be closed and self-service platforms, including the web sites and mobile app, will be unavailable from June 29 to July 7 as teams work to migrate account information into the new system.
- Although customers won’t be able to pay video tolls or violations while the data migration is taking place, tolls incurred that period can be timely paid throughout July.
The Topeka Capital-Journal (in an editorial republished in Salina Journal) is encouraging local drivers to sign up for KTAG transponders and praising KTA’s public information efforts in preparation for the system conversion. While acknowledging that change can be difficult, the editorial emphasizes that the transition will make turnpike travel both smoother and safer while also bringing the facility into the modern age. “This is the price you pay for nice roads,” the editors comment.
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) ETC Systems Kansas Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) KTAG Public Outreach And CommunicationCaltrans Issues Call For Volunteers For New Road-Use-Charge Pilot
This week, Caltrans issued a news release seeking volunteers — drivers of gas or electric non-commercial passenger vehicles — to participate in its recently announced fourth RUC pilot. The project, to be conducted from this August through January, “will test how the system would work, including the payment process.” The department hopes to recruit a wide range of volunteers with a variety of vehicle types “to drive as they would normally and pay their monthly charge online.” Participants will have several mileage reporting options; as an alternative to manual entry of odometer data, they can choose to use an on-board plug-in device with or without GPS, or in-vehicle telematics without GPS. They will also be asked to complete surveys. Caltrans emphasized that data privacy will be protected.
Interested drivers are asked to apply online before the end of this month. Caltrans will notify selected volunteers in July. Participants who fulfill the project requirements “will receive a credit for the gas taxes or a proportional refund of the electric vehicle registration fee incurred during the pilot. In addition, if participants complete all required activities, they can earn up to $400 in [gift cards as] additional incentives.”
Caltrans has been following legislative mandates to conduct RUC testing for a decade. More information is available at the state’s road charge website.
California California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) Caltrans (CA Department of Transportation) Privacy and Data Accessibility Issues Road Use Charging (RUC-MBUF-VMT) Transportation and Infrastructure Research & DevelopmentThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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