PURCHASE, N.Y.–MasterCard Worldwide announced that it is managing a consumer trial of contactless “Tap & Go” payments in selected exit lanes and service plazas on the Ohio Turnpike. The trial is being conducted in partnership with the Ohio Turnpike Commission, USA Technologies and Paywerks, Inc. The Ohio Turnpike is the first toll road in the U.S. to accept payment cards for self-service, toll transactions. The Ohio Turnpike Commission is also the first to test general purpose contactless payment cards in a highway environment.

USA Technologies’ e-Port credit card payment processing technology has enabled MasterCard and the Ohio Turnpike to offer consumers the convenience of MasterCard PayPass. This technology gives consumers an alternative to cash and allows small-ticket transactions to be completed quickly, securely and easily.

Executive Director of the Ohio Turnpike Commission, Gary Suhadolnik, in anticipating a successful trial stated that, “drivers who use PayPass at these self-service toll payment machines will no longer need to fumble for cash and coins or even insert a credit card when exiting the Ohio Turnpike. Instead, they will simply insert their toll ticket into the machine, tap their PayPass-enabled card or device on the reader and pass through to their destination, with no signature required.”

This trial of PayPass on the Ohio Turnpike comes just after the announcements that USA Technologies and MasterCard were rolling out 6,000 new PayPass vending machine locations throughout the U.S in Philadelphia, New York City, Dallas, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington D.C., Denver, Seattle, Miami and Orlando.

“Contactless payments present a unique value position around transaction speed,” said Mike Friedman, Director of Mercator Advisory Group’s Emerging Technologies Practice. “This makes them an ideal solution for environments where throughput is paramount.”

Three lanes at exit 140 (Amhert - Oberlin) and one lane at exit 161 (Strongsville - Cleveland) have been outfitted with the self-service toll payment machines and terminals to accept PayPass. One lane at exit 142 (Lorain County West) and one lane at exit 151 (North Ridgeville - Cleveland) - will be similarly outfitted by early January. In addition, numerous PayPass–enabled vending machines will be installed at the Vermilion Valley and Middle Ridge service plazas (mile marker 139.5). The PayPass trial in the toll plaza exit lanes will run for approximately ninety days.

“Our Company is honored to work with MasterCard Worldwide in continuing to expand this important relationship to utilize our e-Port technology for proliferation of the MasterCard PayPass in self service applications nationwide,” said Stephen P. Herbert, President and COO of USA Technologies.

The Ohio Turnpike trial is the latest in a series of rollouts designed to demonstrate the viability of contactless payments in different environments and in new devices where transaction speed and throughput are paramount. “PayPass continues to prove its versatility in a variety of environments, such as in convenience stores, sports arenas, in taxis or at subway turnstiles,” said T.J. Sharkey, Group Head, National Accounts, U.S. Commerce Development, MasterCard Worldwide.