The bridge operators have been toying with a new tolling system for at least two years - floating the possibility of taking down existing tolling plazas and instead photographing licence plates that crosses the bridges and sending invoices. “It’s not a cost that goes to the customer, but it is a cost to us and the cost is significant,” Macdonald said. Macpasses currently cost HHB about $21 each, and the new ones will cost $1.50. The stickers will also be much cheaper for the bridge operators. The tender says the Macpass readers must have 99.95 per cent accuracy. Macdonald said HHB sometimes receives complaints from drivers about getting stuck at a toll booth that won’t read their Macpass, and the new technology should reduce that problem. It won’t be possible to remove the new stickers without damaging the technology, but Macdonald said users shouldn’t be worried about that, as a single account can have multiple Macpasses - all at no charge. The current plastic Macpasses come with a detachable mounting system that allows users to transfer the passes between different vehicles. It’s also safer for customers, she added, because it would reduce the need for multiple lane changes across traffic. “It is a more efficient way to collect tolls, and it is a much safer way for our staff,” she said of cash-free systems. Toll booths that accept cash will remain in place while HHB considers other options.

“We have to do this anyway and if we’re going electronic, this fits with that direction,” Macdonald said in an interview.įor now, HHB has put out a tender for toll-readers that would be compatible with existing Macpasses and the future sticker versions. The Macpass update will lay the groundwork for going entirely cash-free at the toll booths, although HHB spokesperson Alison Macdonald said that change is still tentative and would be at least a couple of years away. Versions of the Macpass have been in use for the Macdonald and Mackay bridges since 1998 and the latest technology was installed in 2007 - technology that’s now reaching the end of its productive life. Halifax Harbour Bridges (HHB) is planning to phase out the small windshield-mounted device that lets commuters pay their bridge tolls electronically to replace them with stickers.

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