Pa. Turnpike adds civil suits to help collect $237 million in unpaid tolls

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is now using civil lawsuits as an additional tactic to collect $237 million in unpaid tolls, with enforcement led by the state attorney general’s office targeting the most egregious toll evaders. Over the past year, more than 100 extreme cases, each involving over $12,000 in unpaid tolls, have been referred for civil collection action.​

Enforcement Methods

• Civil lawsuits are a new tool, supplementing existing steps such as vehicle registration suspension for those who owe more than $250 or have four or more unpaid tolls, and criminal referrals for persistent offenders.​

• Before escalation, the Turnpike sends multiple notices and collection attempts to motorists.​

Impact and Collection Progress

• The move to civil suits has resulted in improvements: collections in the most recent quarter more than doubled compared to last year ($6.5 million vs. $2.4 million).​

• The percentage of people paying their overdue tolls increased to 43% in October 2025, up from 33% the previous year.​

• The Turnpike has collected more than $56 million in unpaid tolls and fees as of November 2025.​

Scope of the Problem

• Unpaid tolls (“leakage”) have more than doubled since 2021 and now total $237 million, or about 7.8% of tolls billed over the past year.​

• Roughly 86% of drivers use E-ZPass and reliably pay, but the 13.7% using Toll-By-Plate are responsible for most unpaid tolls—about 40.9% of those customers do not pay.​

• Enforcement challenges persist with out-of-state drivers, as current penalties for unpaid tolls differ between states and limit reciprocal enforcement.​

The Turnpike continues to expand payment options and encourage E-ZPass use, aiming to create stronger deterrents and recover more lost revenue as toll rates rise.​