Socio-economic and commute characteristics of drivers in electronic toll collection and variable pricing programs

The relationship between drivers' socio-economic and commute characteristics and their willingness to alter their time of travel in order to obtain a toll discount was investigated among drivers crossing two bridges with time-of-day variable tolls in Lee County, Florida. Only drivers with specific electronic toll collection accounts were eligible for the variable pricing toll discount; accordingly, the propensity for drivers to acquire electronic toll collection accounts was also examined. Significant differences in characteristics were found among four groups of drivers: (1) all bridge travelers, (2) bridge travelers with electronic toll collection, (3) bridge travelers eligible for the variable toll, and (4) bridge travelers who altered their travel behavior due to the pricing program. Awareness of such differences may prove beneficial when estimating the potential impact on traffic congestion of a proposed electronic toll collection installation and/or a variable pricing program.