The Atlantic City Expressway will stop accepting cash at its tolls on Sunday, Jan. 4, and drivers without an E-ZPass will be billed more than double the fare amount per trip.
The South Jersey Transportation Authority said the transition to all-electric payments will make it more convenient for drivers, and the increase for vehicles without a windshield-mounted transponder is due to the additional costs for image processing, billing, postage and collections, the authority said. The opportunity for public comment on the changes will close Tuesday.
Drivers will either be billed through E-ZPass accounts or via Toll By Plate, which uses photos of a license plate taken by overhead gantries to mail a physical bill to the registered address of the car.
Tolls will increase by 3% to $6.30 per trip. For drivers without an E-ZPass, bills will include a 100% surcharge and $1 invoice fee for a total of $13.60 per trip.
Toll By Plate bills will be issued 30 days after the license plate was photographed on the expressway or once $50 in tolls are recoded, whichever happens first. There's a $5 late fee if the bill is not paid within 30 days of receiving it. If that penalty isn't paid in the following 30 days, there will be an additional $50 fee and the driver could have their information sent to a collection agency or their vehicle registration suspended.
Tolls can be paid via mail, online, in-person or by calling 1-888-288-6865.
Drivers can sign up for an E-ZPass online, calling 1-888-288-6865 or visiting the SJTA's Customer Service Center. Any outstanding bills must be paid off before establishing a new account. The Customer Service Center is open Mondays from 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Tuesdays through Thursdays from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Fridays from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. It is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.