Tolling Industry Professionals From Across The Country Meet At Illinois Tollway To Advance National Tolling Interoperability
Imagine I-PASS as an “all-access” pass on your travels on any toll road, tunnel or bridge from coast to coast.
It may take several more years to make it a reality, but the tolling industry continues working toward national tolling interoperability, making all toll systems compatible with one another.
“Nationwide interoperability will provide I-PASS customers a seamless network for fast, safe and convenient travel wherever they go,” said Illinois Tollway Chief of Business Systems Michael Catolico. “With one transponder mounted properly on their windshield, customers will have the assurance that their tolls are being paid whether they’re driving in New York, Texas, California or any place in between.”
I-PASS already can be used anywhere E-ZPass is accepted, including Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Minnesota and 14 other states primarily out east. And efforts are underway to make I-PASS and E-ZPass compatible with more toll facilities west of the Mississippi and throughout Canada.
To further these efforts, a group of about 75 toll agency and industry professionals from across the country gathered in-person and virtually at the Illinois Tollway on August 22 to discuss ways to extend national interoperability. Members of this group have worked for years to establish the technical, operational and business strategies necessary to make national interoperability possible.
A longtime goal for the tolling industry, national interoperability has gained steam in recent years as more toll agencies transition to cashless tolling. More advanced tolling technologies have helped to overcome many of the challenges that faced the industry, allowing tolling equipment to connect with different tolling systems. The Illinois Tollway back-office system, for example, has the flexibility and scalability to integrate multiple tolling facility partners while, at the same time, handling more than 2.6 million toll transactions daily on the 294-mile Tollway system.