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SIGNS ON THE TOLL ROADS ARE GOING PURPLE
In anticipation of The Toll Roads removing cash toll collection on May 14 at 12:01 a.m., 121 new signs are being installed on the 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads.
The new signs are purple, which is the color increasingly being used by tolling agencies across the nation to indicate that a road and/or lanes are tolled electronically.
The move to purple signage for all-electronic toll lanes started in 1991 in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. In 2008, the Federal Highway Administration officially supported the use of the color purple for electronic toll collection signs to facilitate smooth vehicle flow and eliminate driver confusion.
The new signs on The Toll Roads indicate that all drivers now use the former “FasTrak® Only” lanes. The appropriate tolls will be deducted from the FasTrak or ExpressAccount™ (charge, prepaid or invoice) the vehicle is registered to. If the driver does not have an account, they can use TheTollRoads.com or our free app to pay a One-Time-Toll™ within 48 hours after the trip.
The new One-Time-Toll signs have a blue background indicative of informational road signs and display our website where users can go to pay One-Time-Toll. Of the 121 new signs, 32 are One-Time-Toll signs.
Drivers who fail to pay a toll using one of the five, abovementioned options will receive a violation notice.
The signs will continue to be installed at night over the next several weeks.
In January, The Toll Roads introduced more ways to pay tolls to replace cash toll collection. Along with the hugely-popular FasTrak payment method, the three new ExpressAccount types make the drive on The Toll Roads fast and convenient — and most importantly — nonstop. With FasTrak and ExpressAccounts, all tolls are collected electronically while motorists travel at highway speeds.
For more information about the different account options and which one is right for you, please visit thetollroads.com. An ExpressAccount can only be used on The Toll Roads (State Routes 73, 133, 241 and 261) and the toll is, on average, 20 percent higher than the toll paid by a FasTrak customer.
CASH TOLL COLLECTION ENDS MAY 14 AT 12:01 A.M.
May 13 is the last day to pay with cash on The Toll Roads (State Routes 73, 133, 241 and 261). Cash toll collection will cease on the roadways on Wednesday, May 14, at 12:01 a.m.
Visit TheTollRoads.com to see our new clock counting down the days until cash toll collection is removed.
“This is an exciting time for our Toll Road customers,” said Lisa Bartlett, chairwoman of the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency. “We’re saying good-bye to cash, but we’re welcoming fast, more convenient ways for customers to pay their tolls.”
“We’re seeing the end of an era, but The Toll Roads are definitely riding the wave of change. Paying cash for most things today is quickly becoming obsolete,” said Rush Hill, chairman of the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency. “With our new nonstop system, gone will be the need to stop at toll plazas and fumble around for exact change.”
In January, The Toll Roads introduced four new ways to pay tolls to replace cash toll collection. Along with the hugely-popular FasTrak® payment method, the three new ExpressAccount™ types and the new One-Time-Toll option make every trip on The Toll Roads fast and convenient.
Click here for more information about the different account options and which one is right for you. An ExpressAccount can only be used on The Toll Roads (SRs 73, 133, 241 and 261) and the toll is, on average, 20 percent higher than the toll paid by a FasTrak customer.
Toll Booths Removed From 73 Toll Road
This week, two iconic tolls booths were removed from the 73 Toll Road’s Catalina View Mainline Toll Plaza in preparation for the end of cash toll collection on The Toll Roads (State Routes 73, 133, 241 and 261).
Construction crews used a 40-ton crane with a 94-foot reach to dismantle and remove one toll booth from the southbound 73 Toll Road on Wednesday morning and one toll booth from the northbound 73 Toll Road on Thursday morning. Combined, the toll booths (which measure nearly 19 feet tall, 4 feet wide and 11 feet long) have processed more than 10 million cash transactions since they were opened in 1996.
With the removal of a single toll booth in each direction, two current cash payment lanes will be combined into one wider lane that will be used by trucks when cash toll collection ends on The Toll Roads in May.
For more information on the removal of cash toll collection from The Toll Roads, click here.
FasTrak Drivers: Keep On Keeping On
In anticipation of the removal of cash toll collection from The Toll Roads in May, last month we introduced four new ways to pay – three ExpressAccount™ types and a One-Time-Toll™ option.
What do these changes mean for FasTrak® Drivers? Nothing. What do FasTrak accountholders need to do now that there are ExpressAccounts? Nothing.
- Keep your FasTrak transponder affixed to your vehicle’s windshield.
- Keep driving in the FasTrak lanes.
- Keep paying the lowest tolls (on average 20 percent less than ExpressAccount and One-Time-Toll tolls).
- Keep replenishing your prepaid FasTrak account using credit card, cash or check.
- Keep using your FasTrak transponder to pay tolls electronically on ALL tolled bridges, lanes and roads in California (including the 91 Express Lanes).
- Keep easily managing your FasTrak account online or with The Toll Roads’ free app.
For years roughly 80 percent of our drivers have paid tolls with FasTrak; last month 83 percent used FasTrak. As we move toward removing cash payment on the roadways, less and less drivers are using cash to pay. Last month less than 13 percent paid with cash; six months ago nearly 16 percent used cash.
Also last month, we introduced the three new ExpressAccount types and people immediately started signing up for the account type that best fits their needs. FasTrak drivers now share their lanes with ExpressAccount drivers. Lower tolls are deducted from a FasTrak account via a vehicle’s transponder and higher tolls are deducted from an ExpessAccount via an image of the vehicle’s license plate.
Do you have a question about FasTrak, ExpressAccounts, One-Time-Toll or The Toll Roads? If so, leave it below as a comment.
THE TOLL ROADS APP UPDATE FEATURES MORE WAYS TO PAY TOLLS
We’ve released version 2.0 of The Toll Roads’ award-winning app to make paying tolls more convenient. The version’s new functions will make driving The Toll Roads easier after cash toll collection is removed from the roads in May 2014.
The app’s latest update allows customers to sign up for and manage one of the three new ExpressAccount™ types and/or use the new One-Time-Toll™ payment option from their device. The app continues to allow users to sign up for and manage a FasTrak account.
The app can be downloaded from the Apple App or Google Play Stores by typing “FasTrak” or “The Toll Roads” in the search function.
“The Toll Roads continually seek ways to make our customers’ experience fast, reliable and convenient,” said Neil Peterson, CEO of the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA), which operates The Toll Roads. “This latest app upgrade is another innovative way to improve our customer service.”
Customers with a FasTrak or ExpressAccount may use the app’s account management features to:
- View account balances
- Make payments
- Edit account information
- Add or remove vehicles, including rental and loaner vehicles
- Request additional FasTrak transponders
- Review recent activity
TCA was the first toll road operator in the nation to offer an app for toll account management. Since its original release in May 2012, nearly 100,000 customers have downloaded a version of The Toll Roads app.
To learn more about the app, click here.
To learn more about the five ways to pay tolls incurred on The Toll Roads, click here.
WHO WANTS $30 IN FREE TOLLS?
Drivers on the 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads in Orange County can get $30 in free tolls if they open a new FasTrak® or ExpressAccount™ on or before March 31. FasTrak and ExpressAccounts are the fast and convenient ways to pay tolls electronically on The Toll Roads while traveling at highway speeds.
To receive the $30 in free tolls, use promo code FLYER30 when establishing a new account via thetollroads.com or The Toll Roads app, which is available in the Apple App and Google Play Stores.
“We want new customers to know that it pays to be first when you sign up for an ExpressAccount or FasTrak,” said Lisa Telles, The Toll Roads’ chief communications officer. “We’ll be removing cash toll collection soon and $30 in free tolls is a great way to see firsthand how fast and convenient it is to drive The Toll Roads.”
The Toll Roads introduced three new ExpressAccount types last month to give cash-paying customers more choices for how to pay tolls without stopping at toll plazas. TCA will remove all cash toll collection from The Toll Roads in May. Customers can now pay using a FasTrak, an ExpressAccount or the new One-Time-Toll option that is available at thetollroads.com.
To learn more about the five ways to pay tolls on The Toll Roads, click here.
VIDEOS EXPLAIN BIG CHANGES HAPPENING ON THE TOLL ROADS
Hopefully you’ve heard that cash toll collection is being removed from The Toll Roads in May. We’ve created a few videos explaining the changes that are happening on the roads.
This video is an introduction to all-electronic tolling on The Toll Roads. Although we are removing one method of payment (cash), there are now five ways to pay on The Toll Roads.
Watch this video to learn about the three new ExpressAccount types. With an ExpressAccount, photos of a vehicle’s license plate are used to record transactions and tolls can be charged to a credit card that evening, withdrawn from a prefunded account or invoiced once per month.
Finally, this video explains the new One-Time-Toll payment option, which was created specifically for area visitors and infrequent users of The Toll Roads. There is no account setup and no transponder, simply drive The Toll Roads and, within 48 hours after your trip, go online or use our free app to pay tolls.
And, remember, for FasTrak drivers the conversion to all-electronic toll collection will be seamless and uneventful. FasTrak accountholders don’t have to make any changes to their accounts with the conversion.
GET $50 IN FREE TOLLS!
With cash toll collection being removed from The Toll Roads in May, now is the time to sign up for FasTrak® or an ExpressAccount™ and cash in on $50 in free tolls.
To receive $50 in free tolls, simply sign up for a new account with The Toll Roads, then start a new subscription with The Orange County Register or the Long Beach Register.
Here’s how:
- Sign up for a new ExpressAccount or FasTrak account at thetollroads.com or using our free app;
- Keep your account name and number handy;
- Call The Registers at 866-710-1150 and mention offer code TOLLROAD or visit: ocrsubscribe.com/tollroad;
- Enter your Toll Road account name and number on the notes/comments page; and
- Enjoy $50 in free tolls!
Already have FasTrak or an ExpressAcount? You can get $50 in free tolls, too, when you start a new Register subscription. Just follow steps two and three listed above to receive this exclusive offer.
Fine print: Offer valid from January 1 through February 15, 2014. Free tolls are non-refundable. Free toll offer not good on other California toll facilities. The $50 in free tolls will be applied to the account within 60 days or by April 15, 2014. Home delivery of print copy only available to Register delivery areas. Offer valid for new Register subscribers only, must not have been a subscriber within the last 30 days.
NEW EXPRESSACCOUNTS LAUNCHED AT PRESS CONFERENCE
Yesterday, The Toll Roads introduced three new ExpressAccount payment options to the public at a press conference attended by board members, elected officials, community leaders, stakeholders, drivers and the media.
In May, cash toll collection will be removed from The Toll Roads. While we are removing one method of payment, we are introducing four new ways to pay. Three of those are called ExpressAccounts.
The New ExpressAccounts – New Ways to Pay Tolls Without Stopping
With the new, transponder-free ExpressAccounts, images of a vehicle’s license plate taken on The Toll Roads are linked to an account and the appropriate toll is collected. When customers sign up for an ExpressAccount, they may choose one of three payment options:
- Prepaid – Customers open an account with a prepaid balance and tolls are deducted from the amount whenever they use The Toll Roads.
- Charge – At the end of each day, customer’s tolls are charged to the credit card on file for each trip on The Toll Roads.
- Invoice – Customers are sent an invoice at the close of the month for tolls incurred that month; no need to use a credit card or link to a bank account. This account type includes an invoice fee.
ExpressAccounts can only be used on The Toll Roads (State Routes 73, 133, 241 and 261) and the toll is on average 20 percent higher than the toll paid by a FasTrak customer.
The fourth new way to pay tolls is called One-Time-Toll.
One-Time-Toll: For Visitors and Infrequent Users
A payment option has been designed for infrequent toll road drivers and visitors. “One-Time-Toll” allows out-of-town guests and tourists to use The Toll Roads without establishing an ExpressAccount or a FasTrak account. These customers may use The Toll Roads at their convenience and pay their tolls within 48 hours after driving the roads in two convenient ways: 1) visit http://www.thetollroads.com to pay online or 2) download The Toll Roads mobile app and pay easily from their mobile device. The mobile app for One-Time-Toll will be available on Feb. 1, 2014.
Already 81 percent of the daily trips on The Toll Roads are paid electronically with FasTrak®, the transponder-based electronic toll collection system used by tolling agencies throughout the state of California. Currently, 16 percent are cash transactions. When asked, cash customers say they would like a variety of ways to pay tolls and a nonstop, stress-free experience on The Toll Roads.
FasTrak: Still Lowest Tolls
Customers with FasTrak, which uses transponder technology affixed to a vehicle’s windshield, will continue to pay the lowest tolls and may be used on all toll roads, lanes and bridges throughout California. FasTrak customers won’t have to make any changes to their accounts when cash collection ceases on The Toll Roads.
