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Expressway News from the Mobility Authority

Expressway News

September 1, 2016

paying tolls in central texas

If you’ve ever wondered about the toll payment process in Central Texas, you are not alone. With multiple agencies authorized to operate toll roads, issue their own toll tags, and do their own billing, it can be a challenge to keep up with who does what, how it’s done, and what you as a toll road driver are responsible for.
 
Meet Tracie Brown, the toll operations guru at the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. Tracie is in charge of revenue collection as well as customer service, enforcement and performance monitoring.

Tracie has the scoop on the ins and outs of paying tolls, and sat down with the Expressway News editorial team to clarify some common misperceptions. She also shared some exciting news about changes to the billing process that are on the horizon. Read on to find out what we learned from Tracie.
 
 
Tracie Brown, Customer Care and Toll Operations Manager
Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority
 
Interoperability Equals Convenience...and a Little Bit of Confusion

We learned from Tracie that a lot of the confusion stems from the interoperability of Texas toll roads. “There are multiple agencies that operate toll roads and issue toll bills in in the state of Texas.” Tracie tells us. “In our region, those agencies are the Mobility Authority and TxDOT, and most people don’t know who operates which roads.”
 
In addition to the Mobility Authority and TxDOT, which has toll facilities all over the state, other large toll operators include the Harris County Toll Road Authority in Houston and the North Texas Tollway Authority in the Dallas metroplex.
 
Interoperability between toll agencies means that customers with any type of electronic toll tag can drive on any toll road in Texas (and soon Oklahoma and Kansas) and have their tolls automatically debited from their prepaid account, regardless of which toll road they are on.  In addition to the convenience of automatic debits, tag customers receive a 25% discount.

 
 
Hearing from our Customers

Most of the billing problems experienced by customers are related to a handful of situations. The most common is a problem with their tag account. Often TxTag, TollTag or EZ Tag will reject a request for payment because the customer has no money in their account. In response, the Mobility Authority has no choice but to mail the customer a bill.
 
Another common problem is out of date license plate information. License plates are the backup billing mechanism in the event that a tag isn’t detected at the time of travel. If the license plate number isn’t current, then we are unable to debit tolls automatically and a bill has to be mailed.
 
All of this information is spelled out in the License & Use Agreements governing the different electronic toll tag products but many customers aren’t aware of these rules. “They often just click “I agree” without reading the terms and understanding that they are responsible for actively managing their account,” Tracie noted.
 
“Active account management means that you have to notify TxTag about that new vehicle or license plate. The Mobility Authority has no way of knowing that credit card number has changed and neither does your tag provider.”


Addressing Feedback

To clear up confusion about the different tolling agencies in Austin and billing processes, Tracie’s team made several enhancements recently.

“We redesigned our Pay By Mail bill envelopes to make them bright and colorful in an effort to distinguish our bills from TxDOT’s. To facilitate easier payment, we extended our Contact Center hours to include Saturday from 8:00 AM to 12:00 noon and implemented a virtual callback queue so customers no longer have to wait on hold. The callback queue saves a customer’s place in line and allows them to enter the number where they would like to be called back.”
 
Finally, the Operations team initiated a direct phone link to TxTag and stationed staff in the TxTag Customer Service Center to expedite issue resolution and address questions in person.
 
 
Going the Extra Mile


Future toll bills will be printed in full color and will include the toll shields for the roads that the Mobility Authority operates: 183A Toll, 290 Toll, and soon, Express 1 Toll (MoPac Express Lanes) and SH 71 Toll Lanes.

The visual layout of the bills has been changed to make it easier to understand. Information about the balance and due date is more prominent and greater attention is called to what happens if a due date is missed. In addition, a savings estimation is included to let Pay By Mail customers know what they would have saved if they paid with an electronic toll tag.
 
For customers who prefer online account management, the payment site has been revamped to be more user-friendly. Customers can check to see if they have any new or outstanding bills using the license plate feature. Greater detail about the transactions billed will soon be available. Finally, the new site will include a chat feature for those who have questions but may not be able to pick up a phone at that moment.

 
A Message from the Operations Team

We asked Tracie what she wants toll road customers to know that they may be unaware of. The answer? “Despite popular rumors, the Mobility Authority isn’t owned by a foreign company. We were formed by Williamson and Travis counties to improve mobility in the Central Texas area. Therefore, we have a vested interest in providing a service and collecting payment for that service. Ultimately, the funds go back to helping the community that we are a part of.” Tracie says. 
 
Tracie lives in Hutto with her husband, Chris, and their 4-year-old daughter, Camdyn. When she is not busy ensuring that operations on our roadways run smoothly, she can be found entertaining friends with her husband or watching one of her favorite TV shows to clear her head. At the top of the list? Law & Order (the original of course!), Game of Thrones and anything to do with tiny houses – she’s a bit obsessed, she sheepishly admits.
 
Do you have questions about a toll bill you received? Call us at (888) 811-4565 and we’ll be happy to assist you.
 
Curious about what happens when customers don't pay their bills? Look for an update from Tracie on enforcement and violations in a fall edition of Expressway News.

 
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