Ohio Turnpike suspends late fees, collections amid high volume of calls about unpaid tolls

The Ohio Turnpike has temporarily suspended late fees, collections and BMV registration holds for unpaid tolls after receiving an overwhelming amount of calls about mailed invoices.

This comes after the Turnpike upgraded its toll plazas and toll collection system back in April of 2024.

Previously, both E-ZPass lanes and ticket lanes had gates on them, meaning they would not open until a driver either took their ticket, paid for their ticket or had their E-ZPass reader read.

Now, those gates are no more, which means drivers could drive through without having their E-ZPass reader read or without picking up a ticket. If that happens, the turnpike has cameras to take a picture of driver's license plates.

The turnpike will then send these drivers a bill in the mail for their unpaid toll.

Ohio Turnpike Director of Marketing and Communications tells 21 News many drivers with E-ZPass do not have their readers mounted properly so they pass through the toll booth without it being read.

Additionally, some drivers who don't have E-ZPass take the E-ZPass lane by mistake or go through a ticket lane without taking a ticket. 

Because of this, the Turnpike is getting an influx of calls about these invoices. And with summer being peak travel season, that number is even greater.

"With any new system, we can expect some growing pains, as well as a learning curve for some of our travelers," Cyrill said.

Because of this, Cyrill tells 21 News all late fees, collections and BMV registration holds will be suspended for 60 days. 

In the meantime, Cyrill says the way to avoid getting a mailed invoice from the Turnpike is for E-ZPass customers to make sure their readers are mounted properly and for drivers who don't have E-ZPass to pay attention to which lane they enter and remember to pick up a ticket.