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SunPass query as to residents of E-ZPass states

Started by 1995hoo, May 16, 2011, 09:57:04 AM

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drrosenrosen

#50
Just curious here and planning a trip to FL...

Do all the toll roads/bridges in Florida accept SunPass ??  Are there any toll facilities that do not accept SunPass, especially around Orlando or Tampa ?

thanks for any advice.


NE2

Quote from: drrosenrosen on January 16, 2012, 06:58:26 AM
Just curious here and planning a trip to FL...

Do all the toll roads/bridges in Florida accept SunPass ??  Are there any toll facilities that do not accept SunPass, especially around Orlando or Tampa ?

thanks for any advice.

There may be a few backwater bridges that don't, but all the major ones do. Certainly all in the Orlando area do, and all in Tampa, though I'm not sure about all the bridges out to the coast near St. Pete.
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1995hoo

#52
The Rickenbacker Causeway to Key Biscayne did not accept SunPass as of last June.


Edited to add: DeaconG's post prompts me to recall that the facility is not cash-only; it has its own transponder called "C-Pass." That's part of what tripped me up last summer–when you drive around Florida, you'll see electronic toll signs with various logos (SunPass; E-Pass; possibly LeeWay if you visit Fort Myers) but the SunPass will work at all of those. So I assumed the same was true of "C-Pass" and didn't learn otherwise until I got up to the tollgate and saw an 8.5 x 11—inch piece of paper with "This Is Not a SunPass Facility" printed on it, and of course by then it was too late to back up. Stupid that they didn't have a better or clearer sign, but since I never got a ticket for the unpaid toll I can shrug it off.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

DeaconG

#53
Pensacola Beach Causeway does not accept SunPass either-cash only (unless you're a resident and pay for a yearly pass).

All the toll roads in the Orlando area accept SunPass, not sure about Tampa.
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Ace10

In Tampa, SunPass is accepted on SR 618 (Selmon Crosstown Expressway) as well as SR 589 (Veterans Expressway / Suncoast Pkwy) and SR 568 (Veterans Expressway Spur). South of Tampa, SunPass is also accepted on the Sunshine Skyway (I-275) and the Pinellas Bayway bridges (SRs 679 and 682).

The only two bridges I know of that don't accept SunPass are the Rickenbacker Causeway (hidden SR 913) and the Card Sound Rd Bridge (CR 905A). There may be others as other people have mentioned above.

mightyace

Quote from: 1995hoo on January 16, 2012, 08:40:30 AM
The Rickenbacker Causeway to Key Biscayne did not accept SunPass as of last June.

Quote from: DeaconG on January 16, 2012, 11:35:39 AM
Pensacola Beach Causeway does not accept SunPass either-cash only (unless you're a resident and pay for a yearly pass).

This is part of what I'm talking about.  The big state-level agencies have some incentive to do this.

But, small agencies like above may not unless they are forced.

And, some large agencies may not as well.  The authority running the Golden Gate Bridge may not care for interoperability with EZ-Pass or even the pass(es) in Los Angeles and San Diego.
My Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mightyace

I'm out of this F***KING PLACE!

cpzilliacus

Quote from: mightyace on January 20, 2012, 12:21:25 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 16, 2012, 08:40:30 AM
The Rickenbacker Causeway to Key Biscayne did not accept SunPass as of last June.

Quote from: DeaconG on January 16, 2012, 11:35:39 AM
Pensacola Beach Causeway does not accept SunPass either-cash only (unless you're a resident and pay for a yearly pass).

This is part of what I'm talking about.  The big state-level agencies have some incentive to do this.

But, small agencies like above may not unless they are forced.

And, some large agencies may not as well.  The authority running the Golden Gate Bridge may not care for interoperability with EZ-Pass or even the pass(es) in Los Angeles and San Diego.

FasTrak, the statewide electronic toll collection system in California, works on all public toll roads and toll crossings statewide, but probably not the relatively few private ones (for example I don't think FasTrak is honored on 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula, which is owned by a private entity).
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

realjd

Quote from: Ace10 on January 19, 2012, 11:21:17 PM
In Tampa, SunPass is accepted on SR 618 (Selmon Crosstown Expressway) as well as SR 589 (Veterans Expressway / Suncoast Pkwy) and SR 568 (Veterans Expressway Spur). South of Tampa, SunPass is also accepted on the Sunshine Skyway (I-275) and the Pinellas Bayway bridges (SRs 679 and 682).

The only two bridges I know of that don't accept SunPass are the Rickenbacker Causeway (hidden SR 913) and the Card Sound Rd Bridge (CR 905A). There may be others as other people have mentioned above.

The Pensacola Bay Bridge also doesn't.

mightyace

Quote from: cpzilliacus on January 22, 2012, 08:24:41 PM
Quote from: mightyace on January 20, 2012, 12:21:25 PM
And, some large agencies may not as well.  The authority running the Golden Gate Bridge may not care for interoperability with EZ-Pass or even the pass(es) in Los Angeles and San Diego.

FasTrak, the statewide electronic toll collection system in California, works on all public toll roads and toll crossings statewide, but probably not the relatively few private ones (for example I don't think FasTrak is honored on 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula, which is owned by a private entity).

Glad to hear it.  I guess I picked a bad example.  However, my point is still valid.  Unless forced to, FasTrak has very little incentive to be interoperable with other agencies.  On the other hand, how many people with an EZ-Pass equipped car will e driving it in California?

Still, wouldn't it be better to have a system that can read passes from other areas even if you aren't going to do the data interchange needed to support them now.  And for the driving public, you would think that economies of scale would kick in if there were a common transponder standard.
My Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mightyace

I'm out of this F***KING PLACE!

cpzilliacus

Quote from: mightyace on January 23, 2012, 04:43:37 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on January 22, 2012, 08:24:41 PM
Quote from: mightyace on January 20, 2012, 12:21:25 PM
And, some large agencies may not as well.  The authority running the Golden Gate Bridge may not care for interoperability with EZ-Pass or even the pass(es) in Los Angeles and San Diego.

FasTrak, the statewide electronic toll collection system in California, works on all public toll roads and toll crossings statewide, but probably not the relatively few private ones (for example I don't think FasTrak is honored on 17 Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula, which is owned by a private entity).

Glad to hear it.  I guess I picked a bad example.  However, my point is still valid.  Unless forced to, FasTrak has very little incentive to be interoperable with other agencies.  On the other hand, how many people with an EZ-Pass equipped car will e driving it in California?

Still, wouldn't it be better to have a system that can read passes from other areas even if you aren't going to do the data interchange needed to support them now.  And for the driving public, you would think that economies of scale would kick in if there were a common transponder standard.

Cars?  Relatively few, though I have seen vehicles with registration plates from the East in California, including cars displaying registration from my home state of Maryland.

Trucks (and especially truck tractors, or power units)?  Much more common.  The owners and operators of such vehicles would (and will) benefit from nationwide interoperability.

And consider also that some people might want to take a transponder with them for use in a rental car, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, and in Orange County, with its extensive system of toll roads.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

1995hoo

Thread resurrected only because I saw an article saying that the Rickenbacker and Venetian Causeways in Miami are supposed to convert to SunPass this year. Since I had mentioned before that they did not, I thought I'd update the thread. I assume the other non-SunPass facilities mentioned by others will continue as they were.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

YankeesFan

is FL gonna accept E-Z pass soon? are they now? i know they were working on it.

realjd

Quote from: YankeesFan on March 28, 2012, 09:44:14 PM
is FL gonna accept E-Z pass soon? are they now? i know they were working on it.

The tourists are going to spend a week waiting in line once they get to Disney. This way they get to practice by waiting in line at a couple of toll booths on the way to Disney!

cpzilliacus

Quote from: YankeesFan on March 28, 2012, 09:44:14 PM
is FL gonna accept E-Z pass soon? are they now? i know they were working on it.

Not yet, according to this TOLLROADSnews report from January 2012 (emphasis added):

QuoteA draft agreement between the E-ZPass Group and Florida is about 90% complete. He said they don't have a rigid timetable but they may be able to have the major elements of interoperability (IOP) in place by the end of this year.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

1995hoo

#64
Quote from: YankeesFan on March 28, 2012, 09:44:14 PM
is FL gonna accept E-Z pass soon? are they now? i know they were working on it.

As has been discussed earlier in this thread, if you're planning a trip to Florida in the near future, just go ahead and get the SunPass Mini. It costs $4.99. As of last June when I got mine, the Mini included $5 of toll credit as long as you used it within a certain amount of time, so the device worked out to be free. I don't see anything about the $5 credit on their website (SunPass.com), so maybe that's been discontinued, but still, the $5 cost for the Mini is more palatable than the $25 for the standard device, especially for non-Florida residents because there is no refund on the $25 if you cancel your account.

Also, as discussed previously in this thread, the stuff they say about how you must attach the Mini permanently to your windshield is bollocks. I attached mine with Scotch tape and it's worked fine on both trips so far (I saw the green light come on in the SunPass Only lanes at the non-ORT toll plazas). It doesn't interfere with the E-ZPass up here and the E-ZPass doesn't interfere with the SunPass when I'm in Florida.

I'll be interested in knowing whether there will be any surcharge for E-ZPass customers going through SunPass lanes. If so, I'll just keep the SunPass account even after interoperability. I might do it anyway simply out of laziness and convenience.

(Back in my first post that started this thread I said I didn't anticipate driving to Florida all that often and so I wasn't sure the device would be long-term useful. It's turned out that we find it cheaper to drive down there, or drive one-way and take the Auto Train the other, than it is to fly and rent a car. So I'm glad I have the SunPass since we have three sets of relatives we visit down there at least once a year.)
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Alps


cpzilliacus

TOLLROADSnews: E-ZPass Group makes major moves for national interoperability - affiliate membership, publication specs

QuoteThe E-ZPass Group has formally agreed to major moves towards national interoperability in electronic tolling. They passed an amendment to their standard operating agreement at a recent monthly meeting to accommodate outside toll systems as 'Affiliate Members' a new status that won't require them to comply with all the detailed technical specifications and procedures required of full Members of E-ZPass.

QuoteA statement issued today by the E-ZPass Group says: "In the next few weeks, the E-ZPass Group will make available to other industry organizations all of the file specifications, business rules, test plans and other data that have enabled E-ZPass to become the world-wide leader in interoperability over the past 17 years. This sharing of information, through a dedicated interoperability portal on the E-ZPass website will assist other toll agencies in advancing interoperability between systems."

QuoteMajor state toll systems with multiple toll agencies but full in-state interoperability (IOP) but currently no out-of-state IOP include Florida, Texas and California.  They are the big candidates with E-ZPass for national IOP.

QuoteOther major state systems outside E-ZPass are Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Washington.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

mightyace

^^^

Good to hear.  This is a major step toward being able to use a single transponder/tag nationwide.
My Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mightyace

I'm out of this F***KING PLACE!

1995hoo

Reviving a very old thread because I want to ask a question related to the topic I raised years ago when I started this thread and I'd rather not start a new discussion.

As was advised by Florida residents earlier in this thread, I've had a SunPass Mini attached to my windshield with scotch tape for years now and it's always worked fine. I have two of our three cars registered to my SunPass account, but we've only ever taken one of them to Florida. That's now going to change. My wife got a new used car yesterday and we'll almost certainly take that one when we go to Miami in July. I've already added it to my SunPass account, but my question is–is it still important to move the SunPass Mini sticker into her car before we head south, or is it OK just to ignore it and let them read the plate and bill it accordingly? My gut feeling is to transfer the device and to use scotch tape, just as I have in mine, especially because the odds are we'll continue to use her car for future trips (it's 11 years newer and has less mileage and various niceties like adaptive cruise control). But I thought I'd inquire whether anyone has any experience driving on SunPass facilities (not including the toll-by-plate facilities) in a car registered to a SunPass account but without the transponder.

Thanks in advance.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Jordanes

Anyone needing both can get a North Carolina Quick Pass.

https://www.myncquickpass.com/en/home/index.shtml

It's compatible with both E-ZPass and SunPass. I go to Florida only occasionally (last time -- in my car -- was in 2012), but I have it for when I need it.
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Almost clinched (less than 100 miles):
20, 30, 43, 45, 49, 55, 57, 71, 77, 80, 90, 91

1995hoo

Quote from: Jordanes on May 29, 2017, 03:50:13 PM
Anyone needing both can get a North Carolina Quick Pass.

https://www.myncquickpass.com/en/home/index.shtml

It's compatible with both E-ZPass and SunPass. I go to Florida only occasionally (last time -- in my car -- was in 2012), but I have it for when I need it.

I looked into that but did not like their terms of service where they won't let you register more cars to your account than you have transponders. We have four cars for two people, so we don't need four transponders. Other thing in our case is that with the new I-66 HO/T operation coming soon inside the Beltway, on which HOV-2 will ride free, we're going to need E-ZPass Flexes, and QuickPass doesn't have the "Flex" feature. Hence why I'm sticking with having separate E-ZPass and SunPass accounts.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Jim

It is unbelievable that, after so many years, the parties involved haven't figured out E-ZPass/SunPass compatibility.  With there being so many people from the northeastern and midwestern core of E-ZPass who travel to Florida, wouldn't it make sense for everyone involved to get this done, one way or another?
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1995hoo

Quote from: Jim on May 29, 2017, 04:17:33 PM
It is unbelievable that, after so many years, the parties involved haven't figured out E-ZPass/SunPass compatibility.  With there being so many people from the northeastern and midwestern core of E-ZPass who travel to Florida, wouldn't it make sense for everyone involved to get this done, one way or another?

Yeah, although as I noted above the E-ZPass Flex is a new wrinkle in the process (though it affects only a very small number of people compared to the entire customer base for the two systems).
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

1995hoo

Thread bumped because I just found the page linked below discussing a new CFX transponder offering, the "E-Pass Xtra." They rolled it out when they started accepting E-ZPass and it's compatible with SunPass, E-ZPass, Peach Pass, Quick Pass, and a few others. Crucially from my point of view, it does not offer E-ZPass Flex capability, so I won't be getting one for at least the next few years (once I-66 inside the Beltway requires three people to ride free I might reconsider), but I figured some folks might find this interesting.

https://www.cfxway.com/e-pass-xtra/


BTW, link below is to a map of the CFX area showing where E-ZPass is and is not accepted. I have to think it'll be confusing for some people that some ORT gantries on a given road will accept it and others won't. (Also of mild interest, the top left corner of the map shows where the FL-429 extension to I-4 is to be, for those who didn't know.)

https://www.cfxway.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/08.01.18Map-of-CFX-Roads-Accepting-E-ZPassFinal-1.pdf
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Jim

Quote from: 1995hoo on November 25, 2018, 10:38:40 AM
BTW, link below is to a map of the CFX area showing where E-ZPass is and is not accepted. I have to think it'll be confusing for some people that some ORT gantries on a given road will accept it and others won't. (Also of mild interest, the top left corner of the map shows where the FL-429 extension to I-4 is to be, for those who didn't know.)

https://www.cfxway.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/08.01.18Map-of-CFX-Roads-Accepting-E-ZPassFinal-1.pdf

If I'm interpreting it correctly, this actually makes things worse for someone like me with a NY Thruway E-ZPass transponder and a SunPass sticker.  Until now, we could have both up there and whichever was needed would be used.  If we travel on one of the CFX routes that takes either, would we have to unmount and put our E-ZPass into one of the bags that stops it from reading to avoid a double charge?

It remains beyond my comprehension why it is so hard to get interoperability now that toll-by-plate is reliable enough to be used in so many places.  I should be able to register my plate so any toll-by-plate facility would be able to charge to my E-ZPass account.  Wouldn't that be more efficient for all of these agencies and more convenient for travelers?

Photos I post are my own unless otherwise noted.
Signs: https://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/
Travel Mapping: https://travelmapping.net/user/?u=terescoj
Counties: http://www.mob-rule.com/user/terescoj
Twitter @JimTeresco (roads, travel, skiing, weather, sports)



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