Oklahoma Turnpike Authority Says Move To 'Cashless' Toll Booths Will Take Time

In less than a week, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority will start the switch to cashless payments for tolls.

They say drivers traveling to Oklahoma City will start to see changes starting Sunday night at midnight heading into the workday on Monday. The first phase only impacts the John Kilpatrick Turnpike in Oklahoma City, but Green Country drivers could start to see changes on the Creek turnpike as early as next year.

Barnes Tag Agency is at 91st and Sheridan sells anywhere from 250 to 300 pike passes a month. Tag agents say you can sign up for a pike pass online then choose to get it mailed to you or pick it up in person.

"It saves you the time of going through the areas where you have to pay, sometimes they have long lines or there are trucks in there,” said Barnes Tag Agency General Manager, Mark. “This way you go through automatically. it deducts from your credit card account."

Even though Pike Passes have been around for a while, some customers prefer to pay cash but soon they won't be able to. Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation, Tim Gatz, says their main reason for making the switch to "cashless" is for the safety of employees.

"We've had more than 500 accidents at those mainline cash toll plazas in the last 6 years,” said Gatz.

Gatz says the new system utilizes "Plate Pay," which takes a picture of your license plate and sends you a bill. You don't have to make changes if you have a Pike Pass, but if you don't have one, you could see higher fees to handle the processing charges.

Right now, traveling on the Kilpatrick from I-35 to I-40 will cost you about $3.00 without a pike pass, but starting Sunday, the bill in the mail will be $5.80.

Related Story: Oklahoma Turnpikes Pumping Brakes On Stopping To Pay Toll, Moving To Cashless System

"The tolling difference will vary a little bit but it could be as much as two times what it is today," said Gatz. 

Gatz says these changes have been in the works for several years now, and they even launched a ‘Plate Pay’ pilot location in Jenks ahead of their larger roll out across the state.

"We've got the bugs pretty much worked out of it and we understand what it's going to take to stand up an operation like this," said Gatz. 

Gatz says they hope to transition both the H. E. Bailey Turnpike in Southwest Oklahoma and the Creek Turnpike to cashless in 2022, then have all toll plazas transitioned by 2025.

If you would like more information about signing up for a pike pass, you can head to PikePass.com