Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last week that the investment of more than $355 million will help install cashless tolling booths across the entire Thruway by the end of next year.

Kaitlin Slippy says traveling home to Buffalo to visit her dad means extra time and preparation due to the toll booths.

“Every time I go home, I have to take $5 out of my bank to pay for tolls,” Slippy said.

But that will be changing soon, with the New York State Thruway Authority slated to implement cashless tolling by the end of 2020. License plates will be scanned, and a bill will be sent in the mail or deducted from the drivers E-ZPass account.

“I think it’s a pretty cool idea, so I’m looking forward to it,” Slippy said.

Besides a more efficient commute, AAA says it will also be a safer one.

“It’s going to minimize congestion at the tolls, so what it will do is keep the flow of traffic moving," Michael Formanowicz, with AAA, said. "So as long as vehicles are moving at the same speed, that minimizes the risk of a collision occurring.”

And commuters agree that’s a plus.

“It’s not a bad idea. I mean it’s going to save people time I’m sure like the E-ZPass," John Miller of Syracuse said. "Any time people can keep moving along, it makes it easier.”

In fact, Slippy says that’s one of the more stressful parts of her drive to Buffalo.

“When you have to brake around the highway, it gets congested. And at least I freak out a little bit," Slippy said. "So it will be less stressful, probably.”

As for the 1,200 employees who work those booths across New York, officials with the Thruway Authority say 1,000 of those employees work only part-time. But numerous benefits, resources and trainings are being offered to help employees, like commercial driver’s license training for those willing to help with road maintenance.

“I think that's good, so it’s not everybody necessarily loses their job and technology isn’t taking over, so there’s a little bit of the human factor in it,” Slippy said.