While putting air in his tire near the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Sean Malloy said he uses the highway often.

Malloy said he welcomes the change to open road tolling if it means it makes his commute more convenient.

“No brainer. They should’ve done that a long time ago,” said Malloy. 

Tollbooths will soon become a thing of the past on the Pennsylvania Turnpike with the change that begins on Sunday.

Drivers will be charged electronically as they pass under overhead structures called gantries, instead of the traditional stop-and-go tolling. For E-ZPass drivers, the toll money will be taken out of your account, but others will receive a bill in the mail. 

The commission advises drivers to make sure they mount their E-ZPass tag in their vehicle and have all their information including their vehicle and credit card updated.

Open road tolling allows drivers to pass through a toll, without the hassle of stopping. This method also reduces incidents on the highway and increases customer convenience.

The change will first start east of Reading and along the Northeast Extension.

“I’ve had E-ZPass for a few years, so I’m kind of used to the drive-thru. I think it’s going to make it a lot simpler for everybody. I think it’s going to avoid a lot of congestion,” said Pennsylvania resident Tony Cuttone.

Another change is how the toll will be calculated. The turnpike will now use the number of axles, height, and miles traveled rather than the vehicle’s weight to determine the rate.

A 5% toll increase will also take effect on Sunday, but the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission said that with open road tolling and other changes, most non-commercial drivers will pay less than they did before, but commercial drivers could see an increase of up to $5.

“We worked really hard behind the scenes to make sure that all of the changes that are coming with open road tolling are all revenue neutral,” said Marissa Orbanek with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. 

Orbanek said the changes will modernize the system and also make it safer to travel.

“We actually have open road tolling highlighted throughout our system currently at the Delaware River Bridge which is closer to the customers in Philadelphia. And where we already highlighted open road tolling, we’ve seen a decrease in the percentage of crash rates,” she said.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission said it will begin removing the toll booths later this year.