ez pass interoperability with non ez pass systems

[ctkatz]

I've been reading around on here and other places about ez pass uses in othet states, so i already know that they are accepted elsewhere.  i also know that some systems have interoperability agreements in other states.  the one thing that i haven't seen much of is this situation that I'm going to be facing later tthis year.

I'm going to have a baseball road trip to miami for vacation and there's a toll road just about everywhere.  sneeze and a new toll road opens.  I'm taking a rental and i am not going to get abused by those usury like rates for using the company's electronic toll program so i looked into buying a sunpass.  there i found out about the supposed nationwide interoperability network to be put in place last year.  long story short it led me to get a north carolina quick pass ez pass transponder.  it works with the most prepaid toll networks.  plus outside of this vacation it has some use for me as an ez pass that works with the ohio river bridges which is why i went in that direction instead of just getting a sunpass i will likely not use again.

every link i visit says that the nc quick pass will work in florida.  but what it doesn't say is if the ez pass transponder will work in florida, and this is what i want to know.  i haven't actually unsealed the transponder yet so if the nc ez pass doesn't work with the sunpass network i can send it back and maybe get my money back.  i figure that the fastest way to find out is from a bunch of people who also think that the drive to the destination is as enjoyable as the destination itself.

[MikeCL]

Ez pass wont work with SunPass

having said that they really need to make these system all in one instead of trying to come up with a separate system

[cpzilliacus]

E-ZPass is not generally compatible with Florida's SunPass at this time.

However, if you open an account with North Carolina and get the NC Quick Pass E-ZPass transponder, which it appears that you did (details on this site), then you have a transponder that should work in states that belong to the E-ZPass IAG as well as on toll roads in Florida that honor SunPass.

Note that if the tolled crossings of the Ohio River offer a discount to patrons that use a locally-issued transponder (presumably issued by RiverLink or Kentucky or Indiana), you will probably not get that discount with a transponder issued by North Carolina.

[ctkatz]

the new bridges do offer a discount. however you need to use one of them 40 times a month. I have been in indiana 5 separate times in the last 2 years (not counting the times when the bridges were toll free for 2 weeks).  I'm not going over there that often but if I am I'm not paying the extra $3 for paying by plate.   plus nc offers a less expensive inactivity fee compared to riverlink ($1 a month after 12 months of no charges vs $5 for the same conditions).   the way I look at it would I rather have an ez pass that offers me a discount locally that I would not come close to getting or an ez pass that works in the most areas with no discounts and a nicer fee structure.

the quick pass language isn't very clear on the interoperability and I wish they would clean it up some.   it appeared that every mention they had about using the nc transponder in florida (sunpass) or georgia (peach pass) referred only to the sticker transponders and not the ez pass.

[Rothman]

https://e-zpassiag.com/about-e-zpass/where-can-i-use-it

[RoadWarrior56]

One of my pet peeves is that these tolling systems are not standard across the USA.  I have a Peach Pass and it frosted me that it could not work on the new River Link Crossings in the Louisville area.  Last year, I traveled to Florida and Peach Pass was supposed to work with Sun Pass.  It only worked about half the time.

If increased tolling is going to be used to pay for more infrastructure improvements, at least it needs to be made more convenient for drivers.  These systems have been around for enough years that in my mind there is no more excuse for VHS versus Betamax type incompatabilities.

[hbelkins]

The cost for me to use the new I-265 bridge, with a West Virginia E-ZPass, was $2.

[kalvado]

I believe there is a federal mandate for nationwide tolls interoperability. That should be done by October 2016, I believe.
Oh, is it  really 2017 already??

[Rothman]

I believe there is a federal mandate for nationwide tolls interoperability. That should be done by October 2016, I believe.
Oh, is it  really 2017 already??

[1995hoo]

I would question whether it's really worth getting a device if you use it so seldom that you would face a dollar per month dormancy fee ($12 per year, which is on top of the prepaid account balance). I'd look at whether the $3 toll-by-plate fee you mention would be cheaper in your personal situation.

[formulanone]

...you would face a dollar per month dormancy fee ($12 per year, which is on top of the prepaid account balance).

That extra 1kB of data is a huge damper on the 'ol resources, ain't it?

[1995hoo]

...you would face a dollar per month dormancy fee ($12 per year, which is on top of the prepaid account balance).

That extra 1kB of data is a huge damper on the 'ol resources, ain't it?

That's the figure he cited. I assume part of it intended to recoup the cost of the transponder. Virginia charges a one-time $10 fee if you get an E-ZPass Flex and you go six months with no HOV-mode transactions (indeed this is why I'm waiting until this spring to swap our transponders).

[Duke87]

There are jurisdictions in which you can get an E-Zpass that does not charge a monthly fee. Massachusetts is probably the easiest one to get a tag from.

New York also does not charge a fee, but only for state residents or people who physically buy a tag in New York - order one from out of state and you'll get a PANYNJ tag, which has a $1/month fee.

[1995hoo]

His issue was with wanting SunPass compatibility, which kind of limits the options.

[Chris]

I believe there is a federal mandate for nationwide tolls interoperability. That should be done by October 2016, I believe.
Oh, is it  really 2017 already??

Evidently there is a 'National Pass' that is supposed to work on every toll road in the U.S.

https://www.nationalpass.net/

[cpzilliacus]

I believe there is a federal mandate for nationwide tolls interoperability. That should be done by October 2016, I believe.
Oh, is it  really 2017 already??

Evidently there is a 'National Pass' that is supposed to work on every toll road in the U.S.

https://www.nationalpass.net/

According to the Web site (which implies that this is run by Transcore) it seems to work on the toll roads in the E-ZPass IAG states, plus states with more than a few toll roads and toll crossings like Florida, Texas and California.

Three that are missing include Colorado, Georgia and Louisiana (for reasons not clear to me).

Monthly fees are IMO excessive and probably not worth it for most drivers. 

For monthly toll charges from $0.00 to $50.00: $7.99 per month.
For monthly toll charges from $50.00 to $100.00: $10.99 per month.

An exception might be (for example) someone that drives a lot between northern Illinois (E-ZPass territory) and parts of Kansas on which the Kansas Turnpike is a good routing choice, but that is still a distance of better than 500 miles (over 850 kilometers) one-way, or along the I-95 Corridor between states from Maine to Virginia and then south to Florida (or vice versa).

Or perhaps someone that flies around the nation a lot and wants to avoid the excessive charges of toll transponders installed in many rental vehicles.

[oscar]

I've heard the "National Pass" being marketed on satellite radio to truckers. Makes sense that only truckers would be the target market.

[Brandon]

There are jurisdictions in which you can get an E-Zpass that does not charge a monthly fee. Massachusetts is probably the easiest one to get a tag from.

New York also does not charge a fee, but only for state residents or people who physically buy a tag in New York - order one from out of state and you'll get a PANYNJ tag, which has a $1/month fee.

Illinois is pretty liberal with out of state users as well.  There are a lot of Wisconsinites, Indianans, Michiganders, and Iowans with them.  The only fees are a $10 refundable deposit and $2.90 payable to Jewel-Osco if you purchase the I-Pass (EZ Pass) at a Jewel-Osco.  If you get it directly from the Tollway, it's merely the $10 refundable deposit.

[hotdogPi]

There are a lot of Wisconsinites, Indianans Hoosiers, Michiganders, and Iowans with them.

FTFY

[formulanone]

Or perhaps someone that flies around the nation a lot and wants to avoid the excessive charges of toll transponders installed in many rental vehicles.

The problem from me is that I could go two months without even confronting the choice of a toll road/bridge, and then spend two months straight of having limited choice but to use toll roads. So I just expense the rental car tolls; as long as my company comps the tolls, I'm all good.

I'd probably forget the transponder in a rental car one day, negating any benefit.

[MikeTheActuary]

However, if you open an account with North Carolina and get the NC Quick Pass E-ZPass transponder, which it appears that you did (details on this site), then you have a transponder that should work in states that belong to the E-ZPass IAG as well as on toll roads in Florida that honor SunPass.

I don't see a monthly fee shown on the NC Quick Pass site.  Can anyone confirm?

(I live in the northeast, but occasionally visit Georgia and Florida....)

[1995hoo]

However, if you open an account with North Carolina and get the NC Quick Pass E-ZPass transponder, which it appears that you did (details on this site), then you have a transponder that should work in states that belong to the E-ZPass IAG as well as on toll roads in Florida that honor SunPass.

I don't see a monthly fee shown on the NC Quick Pass site.  Can anyone confirm?

(I live in the northeast, but occasionally visit Georgia and Florida....)

What started the fee discussion appears in reply #3 in this thread where there's a reference to QuickPass charging a dollar per month "inactivity fee" if you go too long without using it.

Virginia has a similar condition except theirs says if you don't use it at all in six months your account may be closed. They do send a letter and you can call to keep it open, though they get somewhat testy when you call. (I got a letter in the days before they joined E-ZPass.)

[hbelkins]

When I visited that site, I (like CPZ) thought the rates were very excessive.

I probably should activate that K-Tag that I had KTA send me a few years ago (if I can find it), in case I travel back to Oklahoma anytime in the near future.