TULSA, Okla. — Millions of Oklahoma Turnpike Authority dollars could be lost after installing its new cashless tolling system - Plate Pay - across the state.
The plate pay system is pretty simple. Instead of having to stop and pay a toll, on most turnpikes through the plate pay lane. It takes a picture of the license plate and sends some drivers a bill in the mail later.
The signs are proof across Oklahoma turnpikes. Paid tolls are going away and moving to Plate Pay. They're more expensive than toll booths, but it's convenient and safer, according to Lisa Shearer-Salim with OTA.
"A couple of years ago on the John Kilpatrick, there was a terrible crash where an ambulance crashed into our toll booth," she told 2 News.
But they've since realized not all license plates are being read.
Paper tags can't be read, including tribal tags not properly registered with the state. Altered tags can't be read either, such as mud covering the tag.
In return, those drivers are getting out of paying Plate Pay fees for now.
That's where the frustration's coming.
"Maybe before they put that new system into place, they needed to figure out those bugs," said Olivia Carbone, a driver.
The OTA expects to lose nearly $7 million with vehicles with paper tags. They expect to lose about $10 million for blocked or altered tags and around $11 million for unregistered tribal tags.
OTA said drivers who chose Pike Pass would pay about 50 percent lower than Plate Pay customers.
"Ninety percent of our customers are already Pike Pass account holders," Shearer-Salim said. "We're looking at a 10 percent of our overall customer base that falls in one of these other categories."
The cashless conversion started in 2021, and by 2024, they expect all 12 Oklahoma turnpikes to be. The OTA says Plate Pay will always be cheaper than Pike Pass since administrative costs differ.
In the meantime, their focus is getting agreements with the tribes.
Shearer-Salim said issues like this were expected.
"We knew this was going to be an issue. This was the plan all along to get these agreements in place."
OTA staff say they need drivers to register their information with them because it's coming whether or not drivers receive a bill now or later.
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