After a bit of a glitch at the beginning, E-ZPass has finished its first month of use on the Maine Turnpike with impressive numbers.

Already, there are more than 78,000 active accounts. That’s down a little from the 97,000 or so who used Transpass, the old electronic toll collecting system, but impressive for just one month.

By switching to E-ZPass, the turnpike has brought its electronic toll collection system in line with more than 40 other toll roads, bridges and tunnels along the East Coast. Travelers can use their transponders from Maine to Maryland.

According to Dan Paradee, a spokesman for the turnpike, the change to E-ZPass also tapped into pent-up demand. About 50 percent of E-ZPass users already had accounts in other states. They were just waiting for the switch.

The good utilization numbers mean that traffic flow at toll plazas will continue to improve, Paradee said, and, so far, customer satisfaction is high.

E-ZPass has also improved on the system’s accuracy rates. Tests show that it’s 99.5 percent accurate, well beyond the accuracy of the older Transpass system. Accuracy is crucial for effective enforcement of tolls. It’s difficult to go after cheats if the system is unreliable.

Another benefit for toll payers: Under E-ZPass, more people – 19,835 to 17,164 – have signed up for the commuter discount program, which can save users big money.

So far, the turnpike doesn’t accept online applications for E-ZPass, despite an offer to “sign up now” on the Web site. But we’ve been assured that will be available later this year.

All in all, it’s looks like a good start.