State marks mounting toll losses to tribal tags

Tulsa World Capitol ave

By Steve Metzer May 5, 2024

OKLAHOMA CITY — A review of data on lost turnpike toll revenues in Oklahoma shows the state has missed out on collecting more than $10 million in tolls related to tribal tags over the past 11 months.

About $5 million of that total relates to tags issued by the Cherokee Nation, data provided by the state reflects. Between May 15, 2023, and April 15, 2024, individual “event counts” of unbillable Cherokee tags passing through tolling places totaled 2,148,284.

During the same timeframe, tags issued by the Muscogee Creek Nation passed through tolling points 998,399 times, resulting in $1.94 million in unpaid tolls. The state’s PlatePay cashless toll collection system captured images of the plates, but no bills could be sent to vehicle owners because their address information wasn’t known to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.

State data reviewed by the Tulsa World shows toll losses related to tags issued by 28 other tribes, as well, from the Comanche Nation, with losses amounting to nearly $500,000, to the Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma, with losses amounting to $726.15. View the full article: TulsaWorld.com