Chris Foster, communications
WSDOT continues to charge tolls; issuance of bills will resume later this summer
SEATTLE – This week the Washington State Department of Transportation is mailing the final batch of toll bills to customers without a Good To Go! account prior to an approximately two-week closure to transition to a new Good To Go! system and call center.
WSDOT will stop mailing toll bills to allow customers time to pay their outstanding bills prior to the two-week closure, approximately June 18 through July 5. As part of the closure the Good To Go! website, MyGoodToGo.com and the Good To Go! call center will be offline, so customers will be unable to make a payment or reach customer service.
“We encourage customers who have unpaid bills to resolve them as soon as possible,” said Edward Barry, WSDOT Toll Division director. “If customers are unable to take care of their bills before June 18, don’t panic. We will not charge any late fees during the closure and customers will have at least two extra weeks to pay once we reopen.”
Drivers who continue to travel on toll roads will still be charged a toll but won’t see a bill in the mail until after Good To Go! reopens. Once the new system is live, WSDOT will wait at least two weeks to start sending toll bills, meaning drivers can expect to start receiving toll bills again sometime in late July or early August, depending on their travel date.
“Transitioning to a new billing system is a major undertaking and we know issues will arise when we reopen. WSDOT will wait to resume billing until we are confident the system is working as intended and customers are being billed accurately,” Barry said.
Drivers who use a toll road in Washington without a Good To Go! account typically receive a toll bill within 30 days of their trip. Depending on the date of travel, it may take anywhere between 30 and 60 days to get a bill as WSDOT works through the transition period. WSDOT plans to be back on a 30-day billing cycle for non-account holders by mid-August.
Last week to purchase Good To Go! passes online
WSDOT is also encouraging customers who want to open an account or purchase a Good To Go! to do so now. Good To Go! will stop pass sales through the Good To Go! website and call center on June 14 and though customers can still purchase an unregistered pass at participating retail stores, they’ll be unable to activate their pass once the system goes offline June 18.
Reminders for Good To Go! customers
Before the closure, customers with a Good To Go! account should log in to their accounts at MyGoodToGo.com to ensure they are up to date and record their account numbers in a secure location. Account numbers will be required to regain access to Good To Go! following the closure if customers forget their username or password. If customers use toll roads often, consider adding funds to cover trips taken while the system is down.
Preparing for the upcoming transition
WSDOT and its vendors are still completing final testing of the new system. To ensure the best possible customer experience, WSDOT may elect to lengthen the final testing if issues arise that cannot be resolved or mitigated during the that phase. If this happens, the start date of the two-week closure may change.
WSDOT’s highest priority is ensuring the safety and security of customer information. During the two-week closure, WSDOT and its vendors will migrate data for nearly 2 million customers and ensure the new system is working. If there are issues encountered during transition, the closure may last longer.
After customer service reopens, customers should expect long wait times.
Background on new Good To Go! system
The current Good To Go! system was designed 10 years ago. Both technology and customer needs have changed significantly in that time. WSDOT awarded the contract to design and implement the new system to ETAN and the new contract to operate the call center to Shimmick. These updates will improve the customer experience by offering new payment options, new ways to manage accounts, more self-service features, improved notifications and improvements to MyGoodToGo.com.