Kansas Turnpike Authority chief executive officer Steve Hewitt said Friday that the Turnpike is on schedule to convert to a cashless tolling system.  He said cashless tolling will begin at 12:01 a.m. on July 1st.

Hewitt said with the new system, there will no longer be on-road toll collection, and that will create a safer experience for drivers.   There will be gantries with transponder sensors and cameras set up at entrances and exits along the 236 miles of the turnpike.   Drivers will be billed using a K-Tag or transponder, or by using registration information based on the vehicle’s license plate.

Hewitt said a virtual Go! Cashless toolkit will be available to customers at the web site www.DriveKS.com and that will have information on the new system.   On July 1st, the web site will convert into a toll payment and account management site.

Hewitt said the new system does not mean that tolls will be higher.  He said the KTA established a per-mile toll rate structure in January, and the Turnpike will have the lowest rates of any cashless system in the nation.   Customers who have a K-Tag will pay the lowest toll, and K-Tag accounts will convert to DriveKS accounts when the new system begins.

With regard to KTA workers, Hewitt said a 2014 review found that nearly 70 percent of the manual toll collection staff would be of retirement age by this point in time.  He said a workforce transition plan was developed for employees who will be affected by the new system, and the plan has been successful in moving many collectors into other positions at KTA.