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Washington’s tolling system got an upgrade earlier this summer, and now the first bills and statements are coming out.

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I received my first Good to Go statement via email on Saturday. If you got one but were afraid to open it, thinking it was spam or a phishing attempt, it is legitimate.

If you haven’t already logged-in to the new Good to Go website, you will be asked for your username and password when you first log in. You will then be asked to change that password.

The first thing I noticed is how user-friendly the new website really is. I was able to check my balance and my tolling history, and make changes to my notifications without much effort at all, and that’s what this upgrade was all about.

The tolling division’s Patty Michaud said it’s about giving users what they want.

“When we designed the system, we took feedback from customers through the years, and we did our best to center that design around the customer experience to improve it,” she said.

The goal is for the two million users to be able to handle most questions online, without having to use the call center.

“There’s a learning curve for customers,” Michaud said. “There’s a learning curve for the call center too.”

As these first Good to Go account holder statements and bills come out, Michaud said the call center has seen an increase in activity.

“We get a lot of calls from customers who are on the website for the first time and are just trying to learn how to navigate it,” Michaud said. “We do ask for patience because we know it’s going to be busy, and we’re going to see longer wait times.”

My suggestion is to log on and just browse the site. It shouldn’t take too long to get dialed in.

For those of you who use the pay-by-mail system when you take a toll road, your first bills from the new system will be coming in a few weeks. Michaud said you can convert those bills and save money by creating an account.

“You can do that online, and you can convert those tolls into the Good-to-Go rate, the cheapest rate,” she said.

I also changed my billing to the new pay-as-you-go option. It allows your credit card to be charged every time you use a toll road, and you don’t have to keep a $30 balance. I’ll see how that works, and if I don’t like it, I can always change back with a simple click on the website.

Check out more of Chris’ Chokepoints.