I just got an e-mail from TxTag saying that TxDOT is transferring toll processing and account management to the Harris County Toll Road Authority. TxTag's web site has a small announcement with a link to a broader description.
Looking back at the interoperability hub, according to the announcement I saw years ago, NTTA does software maintenance while HCTRA does physical maintenance. So I guess you could say that TxDOT is handing account management over to be handled directly by the central US hub. This reminds me of the Mega Millions lottery. Unlike Powerball, which has a central agency that handles everything, Mega Millions has different functions provided by different state lotteries. Or this was the case before the two reached an agreement to allow selling tickets for both by state lotteries, and I'm not sure how it works now. It's almost as complicated as the different toll road authority types and their overlapping areas and road networks in Texas.
https://www.txtag.org/txtagstorefront/en/
Hopefully the change won't have any effect on interoperability with toll tags from Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado.
Quote from: Bobby5280 on September 20, 2024, 02:09:54 PMHopefully the change won't have any effect on interoperability with toll tags from Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado.
No, nothing will change about the use of the tags, the toll rates, or the places they can be used. The only difference users are likely to see is that they will be able to go to an EZ TAG store in the Houston area to pay a TxTag bill. Bills for drivers without tags or with unfunded accounts will be mailed from a different place, and the person you call for customer service will be with a different organization, but almost no one cares about those things.
As far as I can tell my Oklahoma PikePass account automatically replenishes $40 from the credit card I have on file whenever the account drops below $10. It usually does this regardless where I'm driving in OK or TX. Hopefully that doesn't change. I'd hate to have to start mailing checks or some nonsense like that.
Does this eliminate (or make significantly more difficult) pay-by-mail for TxDOT toll roads? As far as I'm aware HCTRA doesn't do traditional pay-by-mail but rather a violation notice scheme at a much higher processing fee...
QuoteAfter the planned migration to HCTRA, non-tag customers will receive one bill for travel on TxDOT and HCTRA toll roads in the Austin and Houston regions. This EZ Invoice sent by HCTRA will include only the fees under HCTRA invoicing structure. Note that non-tag customers will have an opportunity to pay tolls online before a first notice (EZ Invoice) is issued.
https://www.txtag.org/txtagstorefront/en/faq/newFeatures
Could/will this also affect SunPass interoperability on the select few TxDOT roads that accept it?