PikePass Snafu Floods Phone Lines

NewsOn6.com

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- Thousands of Oklahoma motorists are getting blindsided when their PikePass tells them they're breaking the law.

They are getting violation notices even though their PikePass accounts are full of cash.

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority says it's a big problem, because PikePass is confused by the state's new license plates.

When the PikePass system fails to recognize that a car tag is registered with the OTA, it flags the tag as a violation.

Drivers can clear up the problem by calling the OTA, but phone lines have been jammed.

"We ask that they don't call right away, because we don't need 300,000 people calling us tomorrow afternoon when they can't get through to begin with," said Jack Damrill with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.

Some drivers may be able to update their tag information on-line.

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority says if you wait a week, the call volume should go down.