No cash, no stopping, no worries.

That’s the motto the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has for the E-ZPass payment program. The commission had been moving toward an all-electronic tolling system, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit earlier this year, it hastened the inevitable.

Cashless payments were suspended temporarily because of the pandemic as a way to reduce contact between drivers and toll workers. After deciding to go to a cashless system temporarily, the commission moved in May to keep it permanent and laid off about 500 employees, mostly toll collectors.

The cuts were the latest development in the agency’s multiyear transition from a system that largely relied on workers stationed in toll booths to collect cash to one that uses E-ZPass as well as automated license readers that generate mailed bills.

Those who don’t have E-ZPass transponders are being billed for the toll-by-plate program in which users are sent an invoice in the mail.

The E-ZPass only interchange in Carbon County is a little more than five years old and was a bellwether of things to come. It was one of a handful of these types of interchanges throughout the turnpike system and the only one on the Northeast Extension when it was created in 2015.

The Route 903 interchange officially opened five years ago just before the Independence Day weekend. Known as the Jim Thorpe/Lake Harmony entrance/exit, the construction was hailed as a timesaver for travelers to Pocono destinations. Before its construction, motorists would have to enter or exit at the Mahoning Valley or Pocono interchanges.

For a while there was a lot of confusion with this new type of interchange, especially at a time when there were fewer motorists who had E-ZPass transponders. A commission spokesperson in 2015 said that 75% of motorists had E-ZPass access. Today the number is more than 90%.

It was only when motorists entered or exited the new interchange did they realize that they could not get a toll ticket or pay cash. These motorists were billed, but it led to citations for some motorists who didn’t realize what was going on.

This is rarely an issue now. At one time, when E-ZPass was just coming into existence, motorists had to send away for a transponder. Now they can be purchased at a number of outlets near turnpike interchanges. Known as “GoPaks,” they can be picked up, for example, at Walmart in Mahoning Township and the Giant supermarket in Lehighton, as well as other nearby locations. The transponders must then be registered either online or by calling a toll-free number.

To make sure that motorists without E-Z Pass access get with the program, the Turnpike Commission said earlier this year that as part of the shift to all-electronic tolling it also was going to heavily penalize non E-ZPass users with a 45% toll surcharge.

In announcing rate hikes to take effect Jan. 3, 2021, for example, the Turnpike Commission said that on top of the 45% surcharge, there would be a 6% toll hike for all users. In justifying the surcharge, the commission said it was necessary “to reflect the costs of collections for this tolling method.”

While it is never a good thing that employees lose their jobs, the turnpike commission will be saving an estimated $1 million a year in free travel by now former employees. State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has persistently questioned turnpike policy that allows its employees free use of the toll road for business and personal use.

Additionally, DePasquale and I are still stewing about the toll-free travel provided to state officials, contractors, consultants, a perk that costs us taxpayers another $5.9 million.

This is wrong, and its appearance really looks bad when the commission is begging for cash.

The other thing that bugs DePasquale and me is the number of drivers who avoid paying tolls, many of them from out-of-state. Unless the commission comes up with a better system for tracking down and prosecuting these violators, this problem is sure to get even worse with no vigilant toll-takers on duty.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com