All Pa. turnpike employees ride free

In Pennsylvania, all 2,000 turnpike employees, from turnpike commissioners on down, are allowed to ride free on the state's 545 miles of toll roads, according to spokesman William J. Capone.

Capone said that there was no written policy governing the free use. Employees given a E-ZPass transponder do sign a statement saying that the privilege is limited to use by the employee, and they sign a release allowing the commission to monitor transponder use, he said.

The agency's view is that free use should be "for business use only," he said. "We reserve the right to monitor and if something is brought to our attention, we do go in and monitor," he added, but "it's rare."

"As best I know, this has been the policy since the turnpike opened 70 years ago," Capone said. The privilege is not part of any union agreements with the commission, he said.

Capone added: "It would take a lot of time and effort to devise a system to monitor 2,000 employees. It would be difficult, time consuming, and costly. We don't think we have a problem - there is no rampant misuse."

Free use of the turnpike, Capone said, is also allowed by state police while on duty, and by agency-contracted fire and medical service providers when on turnpike business.

Fire or ambulance companies that are assisting in emergencies but don't have a contract with the commission also go free, he said. And turnpike contractors are given transponders that allow access for the area within which they are working, Capone said.

As for other state employees, even on official business, or for nonemergency trips by ambulances and fire trucks, "they do pay," he said.

Neil A. Gray, the director of government affairs for the International Bridge, Tunnel, and Turnpike Association, which has about 90 U.S. affiliates, said that in general, though there was "no standard model" or policy, "it is pretty common to have a certain number of free passes for employees" of a state turnpike agency.

Toll collectors in particular, he said, "might need to use the turnpike to get to work."