Thousands of Maryland’s E-ZPass users are closing the electronic toll accounts that help drivers bypass toll booth congestion in the wake of the state’s decision to start charging a monthly fee.

The state has received requests to close some 40,000 accounts since January, when the new $1.50-per-month fee was announced, according to Maryland Transportation Authority statistics. Last month alone — when the fee took effect — users filed 19,000 requests, compared to the previous monthly average of 670 closure requests.