ST IGNACE, Mich. – The Mackinac Bridge Authority will stop accepting Canadian cash for tolls beginning Oct. 1 due to limited use by customers, MDOT announced on Wednesday.
Mackinac Bridge Director Kim Nowack said the MBA does not want to inconvenience customers, but will stop accepting the currency because toll workers cannot offer an attractive exchange rate. Tolls currently cost $8 in Canadian currency compared to $4 in U.S. currency.
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When the MBA receives Canadian currency, it must choose a bank to send the money to based on exchange rates, pay for an armored vehicle to transport the money, and pay wire fees for the amount exchanged, officials said.
“We do have a lot of Canadian customers who currently use credit or debit cards to pay the toll,” Nowack said. “Those customers get a better exchange rate through their credit card company than we can offer them. In fact, when they learn that the toll will be double when paying with cash, many of them choose to pay by card instead.”
The MBA currently receives around $4,000 in Canadian cash each month.