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Turnpike Board Maintains Volume Discount Rates

Maine Turnpike Authority Logo FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2013
Erin Courtney
513-2982
ecourtney@maineturnpike.com
CONTACT: Dan Morin (MTA)
838-8613
dmorin@maineturnpike.com


Turnpike Board Maintains Volume Discount Rates

Daily commuters to keep 50% Maine E-ZPass discount  

PORTLAND, Maine – The Maine Turnpike Authority Board today voted unanimously to keep the current E-ZPass Volume Based Discount Program in place indefinitely. The current discount rates were initially approved by board members as a phase-in plan set to expire on July 1, 2013.
 
Maine E-ZPass account holders who take at least 40 one-way trips a month get an additional 50% off their entire bill for that month. Those who make between 30 and 39 one-way trips get a 25% discount. Maine E-ZPass rates are already set lower than cash tolls for most Turnpike trips, even before the Volume Discount is applied.
 
“We listened to commuters very closely and recognized their concerns. It is clear that the new discount plan is popular and working well, so we are going to maintain it long-term," said Executive Director Peter Mills. “We’re raising just enough revenue to meet the needs of the Turnpike while still allowing us to deliver a very substantial discount to commuters using a Maine E-ZPass,” he continued.
 
The new discount plan is expected to save Maine Turnpike E-ZPass customers approximately $6 million annually in tolls—more than three times the amount under the old Commuter Plan. Over 27,000 Maine E-ZPass commuters had their toll rates lowered 50% in April. Another 9,600 received a 25% discount. Nearly 20,000 new Maine E-ZPass transponders have been sold since the new plan was implemented in November 2012.
 
With today’s decision, the Maine Turnpike still offers some of the most generous commuter discounts in the country, including commercial truck toll rates, which are comparable to – and generally lower than – other states in the northeast. 
 
Tolls are the only source of revenue used by the Maine Turnpike Authority (MTA) to maintain and operate the Turnpike as well as pay back bondholders who loan private capital to finance safety improvements, and major reconstruction projects. No federal or state tax dollars have ever been used on the Maine Turnpike. The MTA is an quasi-independent state agency that finances, owns and operates I-95 between Kittery and Augusta. The Authority’s seven members, appointed by the Governor with consent of the State Senate, serve as the agency’s policy-setting and governing body.
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