PARKERSBURG — Belpre resident Lisa Collins frequently works in Parkersburg and sometimes crosses the Memorial Bridge six times a day.

She has a free MOVPass transponder for the electronic tolling at $1 a trip for standard passenger vehicles and eventually decided on the $30-a-month plan for unlimited crossings.

The money was to be deducted automatically from her account, but the last time Collins checked, her balance with MOVPass was negative $151.

“It’s really frustrating to me that the balances just keep building up and building up,” she said.

Collins is not the only one.

A spokesperson for Parkersburg Bridge Partners, the company that purchased the bridge from the City of Parkersburg in early 2022 and undertook a $50 million rehabilitation project, said the autopay feature for transponder accounts has not been activated.

“As transactions are posting to MOV Pass accounts, we are conducting audits to ensure everything is working as expected,” the spokesperson said via email. “In the meantime, we recommend customers continue to monitor their accounts, and those who wish to pay any negative balance can do so by accessing their account online, visiting the customer service center or calling customer service to make a one-time payment.

“We will provide additional communications once the automated features are turned on,” the spokesperson said.

The bridge reopened Aug. 31 after the massive rehabilitation project that lasted more than 18 months. For most of that time, the bridge was closed to traffic. Tolls were waived for a month after the bridge reopened, with charges starting Oct. 1.

Tolls are $1 per trip for standard passenger cars and are assessed electronically.

If a car doesn’t have the sticker-like transponder or a compatible system like EZPass, the vehicle’s license plate is scanned and an invoice is generated and mailed to the vehicle’s owner, with an additional $3.50 processing charge.

Collins said Parkersburg Bridge Partners did a wonderful job with the rehabilitation and she’s grateful to have the bridge open again.

However, “I feel like the communication isn’t good,” she said. “They should’ve let people know it (autopay) isn’t working.”

A follow-up question to a bridge company representative on whether the full amounts owed would be deducted when the autopay feature is activated was not immediately answered Friday.

The company has a customer hotline available from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday at 855-643-4389. A walk-in customer service center at 2311 Ohio Ave., Unit E, in Parkersburg is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. The customer service email is info@parkersburgbridgepartners.com.