PORTLAND (AP) – E-ZPass is expected to replace the existing Transpass toll system on the Maine Turnpike this fall and turnpike officials hope it will reduce fare cheating.

The current system is only 96 percent accurate, according to turnpike spokesman Dan Paradee.

Paradee said cameras will be running all the time at all locations following the switch to E-ZPass and that the new system has a 99.9 percent accuracy rate.

A bill to be considered by the Legislature’s Transportation Committee would allow the turnpike authority to hold quasi-judicial proceedings at its Portland headquarters.

Under the plan, motorists receiving a notice for evading a toll would have three options: file a written dispute, pay a fine – $50 for a first-time offender – or schedule a hearing.

Similar systems are already in place in several E-ZPass states, including Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey, according to turnpike representative Conrad Welzel.

“We did not want to overburden the court system. They don’t want to deal with an issue that they did not have to deal with before,” Welzel said.

Lt. Randall Nichols, commander of the Maine state police troop that patrols the highway, said the turnpike authority’s proposal could improve enforcement.

“It’s difficult for us to do sustained enforcement of toll evasion, given our other responsibilities out here,” Nichols said. “On the list of priorities, it’s pretty low.”

The turnpike authority estimates that it loses more than $50,000 annually because of toll cheats and Transpass malfunctions. Every toll lane does not have a camera and the cameras are not always turned on.

AP-ES-01-13-04 0216EST