PORTLAND, Maine — Commuters who use the Maine Turnpike are getting letters explaining the upcoming toll increase, and some of them are discovering that their rates will double.
Hundreds of daily commuters will see some of the biggest toll increases effective Nov. 1 as the flat-rate commuter pass is replaced by a volume-based discount system. The volume-based discount kicks in when motorists use the turnpike more than 70 times a month.
Marsha Siviski, who lives in Falmouth and works in Saco, tells the Portland Press Herald that she has been paying $110 every three months. As of Nov. 1, that will jump to $210.
Maine Turnpike Authority spokesman Dan Morin said he understands commuters’ frustration but says the goal is a “fair and equitable toll rate for all users.”
About 23,000 motorists currently use the commuter pass, but the new program is expected to hurt only about 2,000, or about 9 percent, of them, Morin said.
All told, motorists traveling the full length of the Maine Turnpike will pay 40 percent more, with cash increases of 50 cents to a dollar at three toll plazas.
Turnpike Director Peter Mills said the existing commuter pass system was based on rates from the 1950s that have not kept pace with inflation since then. He told WCSH-TV that the deep discount goes away but that others who never received discounts will now see smaller increases.
“There will be a lot of people who will get a discount that never got one before. We will probably not get a thank-you note from them and that will be fine. But the system will be fair,” he said, noting that the volume discount is available to all E-Zpass users.
Nonetheless, many commuter pass users are angry.
Joe Thibeault pays about $30 a month to commute on the Maine Turnpike between his home in Saco and his office in Portsmouth, N.H. Starting in November, he will pay $70 a month.
“I was shocked,” he said Friday. “They didn’t even phase this in. When anything increases by more than 100 percent, you’re going to have some angry people.”
I thought the LePage/Tea Party way was not to raise taxes……
I thought that taking more money from working people is what’s “killing our country”.
What a dishonest shell game our governor plays.
This is not a tax it’s a users “fee”……
Stingah is stuck in the 90’s watching reruns of Sting wrestling….LOL
The Turnpike is an authority that sets it’s own rules and rates. Very little to do with State Government except for over site. This why they got a way with what some call criminal activity before LePage took office. Not crediting him, it was actually the Legislature that took action.
The new volume discount will benefit users who access the turnpike “more than 70 times per month”…..really? A worker commuting to and from work daily will access the pike on average at least 40 times per month….it would take this daily user(s) another 30 pike accesses in a month to receive the discount…..Crazy…..
The turnpike system should be turned over to the dept of trans.all the heavy thinkers that came up with this increase should have quit buying all them gift cards and bonuses years ago and no increase would be needed.The backs of the working class tax payer are getting overloaded on the govs”NOT RAISEING TAXES”program
In reply to PabMainer:
I doubt the woman in the article, who now donates an extra $400 per year to the state,
really cares what it’s called.
And really, I think you’re splitting hairs.
It’s still the government finding anyway they can to get money from us.
It’s still “raising revenue.”
And I’m not going to let Lepage off the hook just because his supporters can spin the word “fee” for the word “tax”.
The result is the same – Americans have less money.
Let’s be honest.
There is a difference between a user fee and tax. User fees can be avoided. LePage has little to do with the rate increase. I doubt there are any one except those in the Turnpike Authority who support the rate increase. If you look at NH, they doubled their rate from $1 to $2 a few years ago and they have less than 20 miles on I-95. Guess what…LePage had nothing to do with that either.
Kind of like the Obama care is going to be a tax now..
Guess maybe we should start overflowing Rt 1, Rt 2,Rt 11 and so on…. that’ll teach em’!!!
Yeah Right!
I suspect that they will be too stupid to figure it out and triple the rates to make up for the short fall. I am in favor or a tier system where has out of state plates pay a regular rate and Mainer’s get a discount.
Two words:
Public.
Transportation.
Next you will want every business and home be on a public transportion route … are you an agenda 21 advocate
“Turnpike Director Peter Mills said the existing commuter pass system was based on rates from the 1950s that have not kept pace with inflation since then. ”
Wages have not either.
well, the turnpike authority dir that was sentenced for stealing over 250k on perks gets severance of 387K plus 5K a month while in prison so it needs to come from somewhere.
This is not the time to increase any expenses on people trying to get to work, especially with gas zooming over 4 bucks. What is wrong with this picture?
What’s the big deal? Everything else has gone up more than this since the 50’s. Take gas for example $4.oo a gal and still going up. What are people going to say when it get’s to $9.oo a gal, “I can’t go to work?”
When you spend more to commute than your take home pay……….
The toll increase coupled with $4/gallon gas should give commuters a chance to rethink public transportation and/or ridesharing.
I will never understand why so many other states can live so well without any tolls but they are needed so badly in the northeast and the prices keep increasing
They must need the money to buy a million more of those orange barrels that line the sides of the turnpike, but never lead to an actual work zone.
All them no bid contracts given out over the years along with pensions.. You wanted the 120 millon dollar highway expansion a few years back.. did you not expect to have to pay for it… Blame the old liberal management for bonding more then the old tolls could pay for.