Heads up, WA drivers: You might want to fill up your Good to Go account before June 18

For two weeks in June, the Good To Go system will be anything but.

Beginning June 18, users of the popular automated toll-paying system will find they won’t be able to get into their online accounts, or even call for help, until after the Fourth of July.

Not to worry. The Good To Go sticker still will get you across the Narrows Bridge or any of the toll roads in the state. You just won’t be able to see your bill — or pay it — for a while.

The two-week closure of MyGoodToGo.com and the Good To Go call center will allow the Washington state Department of Transportation to transition to a new computer system with all sorts of promised new features.

“The present system has been in place for 10 years, and we’ve not kept up with technology,” said Jennifer Charlebois, the WSDOT toll division’s director of systems and engineering. “We’re going to be adding a lot of updated features customers have been asking for.”

Those will include a new “pay as you go” method that will allow drivers to charge their credit card instead of making payments up front, she said. Customers also will be able to do simple things like change a password or switch their method of payment on the website, instead of having to wait to talk to someone at the call center. They also will be able to get text messages when, for instance, their pre-paid account is running low.

Two-week shutdown

To accomplish the change, WSDOT needs to shut down the whole system — except for the toll readers — for two weeks.

“You’ll still be able to pay your toll at the bridge, and those tolls will hit your account pretty immediately,” Charlebois told The Gateway in an interview last week. “But you won’t be able to see your account to judge how low it’s getting.

“What we are asking customers to do is check in advance and make sure their accounts are in good shape.”

WSDOT suggests drivers make sure they have enough credit in their accounts before June 18 to cover at least two weeks of normal travel and to pay any outstanding toll bills or fines.

Drivers will not be penalized if they overdraw their accounts during the shutdown, Charlebois said, and there will be a two-week grace period afterwards to allow for late payments.

Two million accounts

Good To Go is an automated toll paying system that works by reading a sticker affixed to a vehicle’s windshield. Good to Go drivers can bypass the toll booths and use a faster lane with overhead readers. They also save money — the Good to Go toll on the Narrows Bridge is $5 for passenger cars, while drivers using the cash or credit booths pay $6.

The switchover to the new system, designed by ETAN Tolling Technology of Plano, Texas, will involve the migration of nearly 2 million customer accounts, complete with personal information and passwords.

WDOT promises “strict security” measures to insure there won’t be breaches — but it can’t guarantee everything will go smoothly.

“Any large software project of this scale will experience challenges,” said Edward Barry, WSDOT Toll Division director, in a news release. “While WSDOT and its vendors have tested the system extensively, we know the closure date could change, the closure could take longer, and there will be issues once we reopen, so we ask for patience as we work through them.”

WSDOT recommends that customers note their account numbers and passwords “in a secure location.”

Call center changes

When the system comes back online, callers should be prepared for a high volume of calls and long wait times on the telephone for questions or help, said Patricia Michaue, customer service operations manager.

The Renton call center is to be managed by Shimmick, a California-based contractor specializing in mass transit.

All three of the Good To Go walk-in centers — including one in Gig Harbor — were closed for the pandemic, and only one, in Renton, will re-open, Michaue said. That’s partly for economic reasons — WSDOT tolls took a big hit when traffic slumped during the pandemic — and partly because online improvements are expected to take up the slack, she said.

“There are going to be a lot of self-service tools available on the new website,” she told The Gateway. “Basically, anything you can do at a walk-in center, you will be able to do online.”

This story was originally published May 31, 2021 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Heads up, WA drivers: You might want to fill up your Good to Go account before June 18."