Latest E-ZPass, Toll by Plate increase to hit early next year. What to know

Whether commuting or heading out on a getaway, Bucks County drivers need to get ready to pay more to use the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

That means getting to work will become more expensive for traveling nurse Mandy Ophan.

Ophan lives in Bensalem and gets called to hospitals throughout southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware.

"I have been doing this for nearly 10 years, and it seems the tolls are always going up," Ophan said as she left the Lowe's on Horizon Boulevard. "And we don't seem to get much in return; and I can't remember the last time I saw a toll-taker.

"But what can I do? I need to get to my locations, and it is too much of a hassle to find a route around the turnpike. I just don't understand why it needs to go up so often."

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission recently announced all tolls will go up 5 percent on Jan. 7, 2024.

Today, a drive from Bensalem to the Poconos would cost $12.50 in Turnpike tolls for E-ZPass users and $25 for those using Toll By Plate. In the new year, those tolls will go up to $13.20 and $26.30, respectively. From Bensalem to Wilkes-Barre, the fees will go up roughly $0.80 and $1.50, respectively.

"I wish my salary would go up by 5% every year," said Dixon Abernathy. "But everything is going up; the tolls, food, gas; everything, and nowhere are costs being lowered. It's no longer the cost of living; it's the cost of barely existing."

Abernathy lives in Trevose and often uses the Turnpike to get to New Jersey for his job as a warehouse manager. Abernathy, though, seemed resigned to paying more.

"Even in my business, we are charging more for deliveries and other services, so I understand if tolls need to go up once in a while. But every time I turn around, it seems the tolls are going up. It may get to a point where I need to look at alternative routes."

E-ZPass, Toll by Plate increase coming early next year

Drivers using the entire length of the Turnpike will see hikes of at least $2.20 and upward of $4.

The commission said the most-common toll for a passenger vehicle will increase from $1.80 to $1.90 for E-ZPass customers and from $4.40 to $4.70 for Toll by Plate customers.

The most-common toll for a Class-5 tractor trailer will increase from $14.40 to $15.20 for E-ZPass and from $29.40 to $30.90 for Toll by Plate.

After the increase is applied, E-ZPass and Toll by Plate rates for passenger and commercial vehicles will round up to the nearest dime.

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E-ZPass, Toll by Plate toll increases now a yearly occurrence

The commission has raised tolls every year since at least 2018.

In 2018, tolls were increased by 6%, and again every until 2022, when it dropped to 5 percent.

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And the increases are not ending anytime soon.

According to the commission, the 5% toll rate increase continues the commission’s planned, multi-year reduction in annual increase rates with a goal of getting to 3% in 2028.

The commission is obligated to pay PennDOT for roadway infrastructure upkeep.

Under Act 89, the commission's annual transit payments to PennDOT was reduced from $450 million to $50 million in July 2022.

"While these payments were once $450 million a year, they have been reduced to $50 million annually," said Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission CEO Mark Compton. "However, our organization had to borrow to make those payments, which total nearly $8 billion.

"Before we ask customers to pay higher rates, we make sure that we’re keeping our costs as low as possible. It's about fiscal restraint."

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Get ready to pay more, again, to use PA Turnpike