Revamped SunPass system sluggish after a stumbling start

The newly upgraded SunPass website, mobile app and hotlines crashed on Monday and Tuesday because they were overwhelmed by users who had no access during a week-long overhaul, according to Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise that operates SunPass.

“We anticipated a high volume of customers accessing the system once it came back online; and although the increased demand was anticipated, it was higher than expected,” spokesman Chad Huff wrote in an emailed statement.

The SunPass system was overhauled between June 5-11 and was supposed to be ready to go by 9 a.m. Monday, but users encountered error messages online and busy signals on phone lines while trying to access their accounts to pay tolls, activate transponders and use other features.

“It’s June 12th and the SunPass site is still down,” said Guy Long. “A lot of us business executives need to do our expenses and need to get in there.”

Other users reported some success accessing their account on SunPass.com just before midnight Tuesday.

“The logins are still pretty slow, about 35-45 seconds, and web pages load rather slowly,” said John Smith. “However, the website is, at the very least, functional.”

Problems persisted Wednesday as more people tried to access their accounts during the day.

“We are working diligently to resolve this as quickly as possible,” Huff said.

During the transition, SunPass transponders were still recognized and tolls were still charged, but drivers were being advised to replenish their accounts before the shutdown. They were unable to make automatic payments during the shutdown.

South Florida airports that accept SunPass Plus to pay for parking had closed those entrance and exit lanes in anticipation of the shutdown, but they have been reopened.

“Our SunPass systems came back on line Monday at approximately 3 p.m.,” said Greg Meyer, at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport. “We are not experiencing any issues.”

The SunPass upgrades also included:

— the Toll-by-Plate website, call centers, walk-in centers,

— transponder purchasing and activation online, through the call center, kiosks, mobile apps,

— account updates, changes, replenishment, reloads, and cash payments

— invoices, traffic ticket payments, registration, and stop-payment functions

SunPass also opened three new walk-in centers in Tampa, Ocoee, and in Doral at 7902 NW 36th St., Unit 203.

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