Confusion facing drivers in Kansas under new cashless toll system

TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Turnpike Authority (KTA) is working to dispel confusion gripping some drivers adjusting to the new cashless tolling system implemented earlier this year.

KSNT-TV reached out to Rachel Bell with the KTA to get an update on the cashless tolling system put in place on July 1, 2024 . She said the KTA is focused on informing people about the cashless tolls and how they work, with education efforts ongoing as summer transitions to fall.

“We are experiencing high call volume and some customers are frustrated if they have difficulties getting through,” Bell said. “Customers should always look at their statements, just like they would a credit card statement or other invoice, and they should contact KTA if something doesn’t seem accurate.”

This was a major change for Kansas drivers as the old cash tolls were shut down in the summer and are now being demolished in favor of the new system. Drivers in the Sunflower State are now billed through the use of newly installed overhead gantries, switching old KTAG accounts over to the new DriveKS system.

“If traffic is all moving in the same lanes at the same speeds and not having to stop and merge together, then it will be much safer and reduces the time of the trip without having to stop at those plazas,” said David Jacobson, KTA director of engineering when talking about the removal of the old toll booth locations.

Jacobson said the process to demolish the old toll booths is ongoing, but drivers can still enter the highway through the toll lanes as lane closures alternate. People are asked to obey road signs in these areas which are subject to change as demolition efforts proceed.

“Phase construction will occur at each plaza,” Jacobson said. “Removing the booths and canopies will need to be performed in closed lanes, so traffic will be moved from the inside to the outside and then vice versa.”

Bell said there are four areas that are not well understood regarding the way tolls work now. She went into detail for each of these topics, including complaints of people who were “double-billed,” providing 27 News with answers on each subject.

Trips vs. transactions

As the KTA transitioned to cashless tolling earlier this year, it switched from a trip-based system to a transaction-based system. Some customers may now see several transactions on their statement for each trip they take as opposed to the single trip they may be used to seeing.

“If customers don’t understand this, they can interpret it as being double-billed,” Bell said.

License plates

Bell said the KTA has been working for many years to get KTAG customers to add license plates as backups. However, not all customers took action on this.

“If the KTAG doesn’t read, the transaction is processed by license plate,” Bell said. “If the license plate is on the customer’s account, the transaction is added to the account. If the license plate is NOT on the account, the transaction may be added to a new account. We are still fine-tuning the system and license plates will play an important role in helping identify customers.”

New dispute process

Bell encourages customers who think they have received the wrong bill to contact the KTA through its customer service lines. These include the KTA’s mobile app, website, phone and three walk-in centers.

“We have new tools available to help customers who would like to dispute tolls,” Bell said. “At DriveKS.com, customer can click on Help & Support. There are FAQs that may help the customer find answers. If they want to dispute tolls, they can do so by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on ‘Dispute Tolls’.”

New billing structure

The KTA billed all 550,000 accounts on the first of the month and charged payment methods on the 15th of the month before July 1, 2024. Bell said this was not efficient for the KTA and failed to provide the best experience for its customers.

“With cashless tolling, KTA restructured its billing to bill a portion of our customers every day,” Bell said. “While we explained this to customers prior to the conversion, we know that not all customers understood what this meant for their account. A customer who received a bill on July 1 for travel prior would not necessarily receive a bill on the first of August.”

How to learn about DriveKS

Bell said people can head to DriveKS.com to learn more about how the new system works and consult its FAQ page . A playlist on YouTube created by the KTA also contains several videos explaining how to set up a DriveKS account, how to use the Kansas Turnpike and other helpful information.

“This conversion is a big change for everyone so we’re working to help customers however we can while educating on new processes and tools,” Bell said. “And, we’re still fine-tuning the system to increase efficiency.”

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