You'll no longer be able to hand your cash to a toll taker or use exact change when traveling on the Selmon Expressway. Starting at 9:30 tonight, motorists on the 15-mile highway stretching from South Tampa to Brandon will have to use a SunPass or receive a bill for their tolls
There are about 30,000 daily trips on the Crosstown, with 78 percent of motorists using the automated SunPass system.
The cost of collecting tolls from the other motorists accounts is about $1.2 million a year, said Joe Wagner, the Expressway Authority Director. That's about half of the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority's budget, spokeswoman Sue Chrzan said.
The 58 toll collectors are contracted through Florida's Turnpike Enterprise. About 25 percent of them are being reassigned.
Tolls are 25 cents cheaper with SunPass.
A SunPass transponder costs $4.99, but when it's activated with at least $10, the $4.99 fee is placed back in the customer's account. There are no additional annual fees.
For motorists without a SunPass, cameras will photograph license plates and a bill will be sent to the address corresponding with the vehicle's registration.
Motorists won't be sent a bill for their first trip on the Crosstown under the new system. After their second trip, they will get a bill in the mail about a week later for both trips and will have a month to pay.
Subsequent bills will be mailed monthly and will include all tolls levied during the prior month.
Bills can be paid online, over the phone or by mail. Motorists who don't pay could face late fees, a hold on their registration and points on their license.
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