Toll collectors - nostalgia for lost human touch

[Stephane Dumas]

I spotted this article on tollroadnews about the toll collectors with mention of the iceman and the milkman http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/6482

[bugo]

I just bought a Pikepass, and I certainly don't miss having to stop and pay a toll and talk to toll takers.

[oscar]

I prefer the inhuman touch with toll collectors, where I can't avoid them altogether with my E-ZPass or SunPass transponders.  I try to pay the toll, get any change I'm due and be on my way without saying a word (except, where appropriate, "thank you" or its local equivalent).  That goes double at toll booths in Quebec and Mexico, where I don't speak the language well, but get by just fine anyway.

[kphoger]

I like friendly toll collectors.  I dislike it when they basically totally ignore me.

[vdeane]

I disagree with the article about toll collectors finding a niche where traffic volumes are low or you have to stop anyways.  While I like not stopping or waiting in line with the transponder, the big reason I have E-ZPass is so I don't have to fumble with cash.  You have to either know the toll ahead of time and set aside the appropriate amount (and deal with change when arriving at your destination, since I rarely have the exact amount due to not using cash for anything) or hold up the line (especially since I usually travel alone).

[hbelkins]

For most things, I prefer automation vs. human interaction. As I get older, I'm becoming less and less of a people person. I try to use self-checkout at any store that offers it vs. going through a line with a person running the register. I'm glad that I can now schedule doctor's appointments with my local doctor online instead of having to call and talk to someone.

It would be nice if all E-ZPass or similar toll collection was done at highway speeds instead of having to slow down. At least my brief excursion onto the NY Thruway last week only required me to slow to 20 mph instead of 5 mph like the PA Turnpike requires.

[vdeane]

And that depends on the Thruway booth.  Some are 20, some are 5.  It depends on where the toll booth lane is in relation to the parking lot for toll collectors and the pedestrian crosswalk connecting the lanes.  It's annoying, but I can understand the lower limit given the visibility to the sides.

[SP Cook]

I'm with Oscar and HB.  I prefer to deal with automation (electronic toll collection, ATMs, pay-at-the-pump, self-checkout, etc).   Its faster, more accurate, and, sad to say, more courtious in many cases).    The newest movie theatre in my area has an ATM like ticket vendor, and vending machines for the sodas, popcorn, etc).  Better.

Gripe.  I used to drive the WV Turnpike a lot, before they had EZ Pass and before their illegal toll increase.  Toll was $1.25.  Now obviously the majority of people were going to pay with a dollar bill and a quarter or five quarters.   But apparently the toll takers hated to end up the day with other change.  So they would sit there and make little piles of 75 cents out of dimes, nicklels and even 50c pieces.  If you go caught without correct change, you got a handfull of random non-quarter change.   Which I would just give back at the next toll booth. 

[kphoger]

I disagree with the article about toll collectors finding a niche where traffic volumes are low or you have to stop anyways.  While I like not stopping or waiting in line with the transponder, the big reason I have E-ZPass is so I don't have to fumble with cash.  You have to either know the toll ahead of time and set aside the appropriate amount (and deal with change when arriving at your destination, since I rarely have the exact amount due to not using cash for anything) or hold up the line (especially since I usually travel alone).

I have no problem with getting the right amount of cash.  Here's how I do it:  Look to the right and say, "Honey, will you get the toll ready for me?"  And then, lo and behold! well in advance of the toll both, I have exact change in my hand.   

[vdeane]

Yeah, it's so much easier when not traveling alone...

[kphoger]

Back in my single days (during the brief period I owned a car), I would just get out exact change in advance (Chicago-area toll roads).  Sometimes I would even count out the toll in pennies, put the pennies in an upside-down Frisbee, dump the whole Frisbee-load into the automatic cash basket, and then listen to the whirrrrr of it counting my cash.

[realjd]

I disagree with the article about toll collectors finding a niche where traffic volumes are low or you have to stop anyways.  While I like not stopping or waiting in line with the transponder, the big reason I have E-ZPass is so I don't have to fumble with cash.  You have to either know the toll ahead of time and set aside the appropriate amount (and deal with change when arriving at your destination, since I rarely have the exact amount due to not using cash for anything) or hold up the line (especially since I usually travel alone).

I got caught driving to O'Hare a few years ago. There was an oddball toll ($0.80 maybe?) on the exit for the airport, coins only. Not having $0.80 in coins, I was forced to run it. You'd think of all places to have user friendly toll booths, the entrance to the airport, one frequented by tourists and out of towners like myself, would be it.

[oscar]

Back in my single days (during the brief period I owned a car), I would just get out exact change in advance (Chicago-area toll roads).  Sometimes I would even count out the toll in pennies, put the pennies in an upside-down Frisbee, dump the whole Frisbee-load into the automatic cash basket, and then listen to the whirrrrr of it counting my cash.

Sounds like the good, really old days.  Are there any cash baskets anymore that will even take pennies?

Maybe you can pull that stuff with a human toll-taker, though they might not take pennies or at the very least give you a big frown, since they don't need pennies to give out in change.  Even with other kinds of cashiers, the reactions are mixed -- some are unhappy having to count out all the pennies I dump on them, others appreciate my fixing their penny shortage.

[Brandon]

Back in my single days (during the brief period I owned a car), I would just get out exact change in advance (Chicago-area toll roads).  Sometimes I would even count out the toll in pennies, put the pennies in an upside-down Frisbee, dump the whole Frisbee-load into the automatic cash basket, and then listen to the whirrrrr of it counting my cash.

Sounds like the good, really old days.  Are there any cash baskets anymore that will even take pennies?

Yes.  The Illinois Tollway baskets (those that still exist) do take pennies.

[Dr Frankenstein]

I think I'm the oddball here. I prefer the good old way. I don't plan on using a transponder unless I take a toll often enough; which, in my case, means don't plan on having any transponder. I don't even take the A25 bridge often enough to make a transponder profitable for me.

[Takumi]

I think I'm the oddball here. I prefer the good old way. I don't plan on using a transponder unless I take a toll often enough; which, in my case, means don't plan on having any transponder.

Same. I rarely drive VA 195 or VA 76 (maybe once a year each), and haven't been on VA 895 or the tolled segmet of VA 168 in years. For other toll routes I encounter, I pretty much plan on only driving them the one time to clinch them.

[djsinco]

Took my mother from her home near Valley Forge, PA to Point Pleasant a few years back. At the eastern barrier to the PA Turnpike, the toll taker greeted us with a sincere, "thanks, hope you are having a nice day." The New Jersey turnpike counterpart greeted us with a gruff "TWO DOLLARS!!!." I handed him 2 bucks and told him "Two dollars to you, as well!" The look of confusion on his face was priceless.

Also, back in the '90's, there was a night shift toll booth attendant on the WV Turnpike named Albert Gore. This was, of course, the name of the VP of our nation at the time. I always would ask him why the VP felt the need to moonlight, couldn't Bill give him a raise?

[vdeane]

Come to think of it, our family dog would have been driven crazy by E-ZPass.  Some of the NYSTA cash attendants had dog treats.

[kphoger]

Back in my single days (during the brief period I owned a car), I would just get out exact change in advance (Chicago-area toll roads).  Sometimes I would even count out the toll in pennies, put the pennies in an upside-down Frisbee, dump the whole Frisbee-load into the automatic cash basket, and then listen to the whirrrrr of it counting my cash.

Sounds like the good, really old days.  Are there any cash baskets anymore that will even take pennies?

Yes.  The Illinois Tollway baskets (those that still exist) do take pennies.

Yeah, it was the good, really old days of about 2004.      Back when horses were common on the E-W Tollway.

[US81]

I would like the ability to drive a tollway when it's convenient to me, for clinching purposes or just for the ease and speed of a tollway. However, there are none I drive regularly enough to deal with the expense and hassle of a transponder. In ye olden days, I would keep a handful of change in the vehicle, but now I tend to forgo the use of toll roads. My experiences with pay-by-mail have been much less than stellar. Even though I've lived at the same address for 13 years, and have owned the same vehicles since 1999 and 2005, I have yet to receive a bill "on time." There is always a substantial "late" fee on the FIRST bill I receive.

I'd much prefer to pay as I go.

[A.J. Bertin]

In Michigan where I live, the only toll roads we have are crossing the Mackinac Bridge or crossing into Canada (either through a tunnel or across a bridge). I have zero desire to purchase an EZ-Pass transponder and prefer to pay with cash for almost everything. I don't drive on toll roads often, but when I do, I plan in advance to make sure I have the right cash (coins or paper bills). Sometimes I have to research in advance to see if there is a human option for paying the toll. Most of the time (like if I'm on the Ohio Turnpike), that option is available so I don't have to worry about exact change.

Regarding gas stations, I rarely use pay-at-the-pump. I love using cash. However, the one inconvenience about paying with cash is that most gas stations around here require you to prepay, and I always like to have a completely full tank. That means I have to overestimate how much it will cost me to fill up my tank, go inside to pay, come back out to fill up, and then go back in a second time to get my change. That's okay though; my desire to pay with cash trumps this minor inconvenience.

Regarding self-checkout at the grocery store, I sometimes use it if I am only buying a few items. If I have a shopping cart full of groceries, I'd rather interact with a human cashier.

In general, I prefer the human touch in most transactions when it's possible.

[agentsteel53]

I try to pay with a credit card for everything.  2% cash back is a major incentive, as is the ability to review my purchases online for more accurate budgeting.

I also like to pay at the pump when getting gas. 

about the only place I prefer a human is at self-checkout lanes at the big box store.

At Home Depot, about 85% of the time, in my experience, a human operator is needed because an item does not match its expected weight, or the system randomly goes down, or the scanner's transparent window has been scratched opaque by vandals (WTF) and is only half-operative.*

Fresh 'n Easy is a lot better.  that's about 1/3 of the time only for needing a human operator.

* and don't get me started on the 'you need to be 18 to buy spray paint' law in San Diego.  Vandalize?  I could destroy your property in minutes with items I can purchase without an age restriction.  Between pool acid and a chainsaw, there ain't much standing in my way.

[jeffandnicole]

Chances are, the change baskets that still exist will take pennies...even if they say they don't.  No one likes pennies - they're a pain to count, and they get heavy for a while.

Even though the booths on the NJ Turnpike had "NO PENNIES" stickers, we were supposed to take them.  It didn't happen every often.  I was one of the nice ones who would take them.  I would also be one of the few that actually greeted people with "Hello", "Have a Nice Day", etc. 

On the other hand, I wouldn't scream over radios and such.  I'd talk in a regular tone of voice, and if they couldn't hear me, they'd get the idea and turn their radio down.  Or if they ask me for directions, then say "Well, that's not what I have written here"...then it was a more sarcastic response. 

[Brandon]

Chances are, the change baskets that still exist will take pennies...even if they say they don't.  No one likes pennies - they're a pain to count, and they get heavy for a while.

Even though the booths on the NJ Turnpike had "NO PENNIES" stickers, we were supposed to take them.  It didn't happen every often.  I was one of the nice ones who would take them.  I would also be one of the few that actually greeted people with "Hello", "Have a Nice Day", etc. 

On the other hand, I wouldn't scream over radios and such.  I'd talk in a regular tone of voice, and if they couldn't hear me, they'd get the idea and turn their radio down.  Or if they ask me for directions, then say "Well, that's not what I have written here"...then it was a more sarcastic response. 

As I said, the change baskets still used here in Illinois on the unattended ramp toll plazas do take (and always have taken) pennies.  There's this odd quirk where a certain President (not current) from Illinois is on the coin.  They've never had the stickers stating "no pennies" either.  Every so often, before the I-Pass ORT era, you'd get some No Tolls numbnut throwing in 40 pennies in a basket on the Tri-State in protest.  ISTHA didn't care - the machines took and counted them anyway.

[kphoger]

Every so often, before the I-Pass ORT era, you'd get some No Tolls numbnut throwing in 40 pennies in a basket on the Tri-State in protest.  ISTHA didn't care - the machines took and counted them anyway.

As I mentioned, I'd do that every so often.  Not in protest, just to get rid of some pennies.  It only took about five extra seconds to count the pennies.  I would also do it every so often on the bus; it takes a lot longer to funnel pennies into a farebox than a toll basket, let me tell you!