Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals
Friction when attempting to pay a past-due road toll online is the leading reason consumers don’t pay overdue tolls, not an unwillingness to pay, says a report from PayNearMe Inc.
Among the key findings in the report from the Santa Clara, Calif-based fintech is that 39% of drivers reported difficulty accessing toll Web sites or payment portals to pay past-due tolls, while 38% contacted customer service for account or payment issues, and 37% called customer service about account-replenishment problems.
PayNearMe in February surveyed 1,548 drivers ages 18 and up.
Another reason consumers are late or fail to pay past-due tolls is that they do not have the option to pay using a preferred payment method. Some 28% of respondents said their desired method was unavailable, while 30% of respondents missed payments because paying by digital wallet was not an option.
Toll agencies have been slow to offer digital wallets as an option, despite their growing popularity, according to PayNearMe. When asked which digital wallets they want to see toll agencies support, 55% said PayPal, while 50% noted Apple Pay. Other wallets cited include Venmo (33%), Google Pay (32%), and Cash App Pay (30%). Respondents could cite more than one wallet.
The past-due payment difficulty is causing many drivers to receive toll-violation notices. Some 23% of drivers had a past-due toll turn into a violation in the past year, the report says. Of consumers who received a violation notice, 49% said they would not have missed a payment if the process for paying online was easier.
One payment option consumers want to see from toll agencies is QR Codes. Fully 45% of respondents said they find QR Codes an “appealing” payment option. The Transportation Corridor Agencies, which operate the toll roads in Orange County, Calif., saw a more than six-fold increase in on-time payments after installing PayNearMe’s Smart Link app, which supports payment via QR codes, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based fintech says.
“Drivers aren’t trying to avoid payment. They’re blocked by systems that are hard to use,” said Anne Hay, chief marketing officer and executive vice president for PayNearMe, says in a statement. “Our research shows friction, not intent, is the real barrier.”
In related news, PayRange LLC, which enables cashless transactions at vending machines, laundry machines, and arcade games via a mobile platform, said it is partnering with commercial-laundry operator CSC ServiceWorks. PayRange will retrofit washers and dryers in laundry facilities operated by CSC to accept cashless payments. For the integration, CSC will adapt its One Tap Away app, which allows renters to perform such tasks as pay rent and schedule maintenance requests, for PayRange’s platform.
PayRange supports a loyalty program and in-app offers and provides analytic insights into machine health, consumer usage patterns, and revenue trends.
