Dear PTC: Your E-ZPass readers suck

[hbelkins]

Waiting for me in my mail this afternoon were two violation notices from the Pennsylvania Turnpike E-ZPass violations center. The notices had photos of my vehicle (note to self: get a darker license plate cover) and claimed that I had exited through an E-ZPass lane without paying toll.

The date and time indicates these were entering at Breezewood and exiting at US 220/I-99 on the Sunday of my trip to Pennsylvania. Funny that they claim my transponder wasn't read on either of those two occasions, when I got the green "OK" light each time and had no problems during any of the other passes I made through E-ZPass readers on my journey through New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland on that trip.

I can get a statement from West Virginia showing I'm a valid E-ZPass holder, and of course can provide proof that I'm a tagholder and not have to pay the $26 per violation notice, but still this is a PITA.

Does this happen frequently to other E-ZPass holders or did I happen to just be unlucky that day?

[agentsteel53]

that's what you get for driving on I-99.

[hbelkins]

I actually turned south on US 220 and didn't drive on I-99 that day.

[agentsteel53]

I actually turned south on US 220 and didn't drive on I-99 that day.

oh, in that case, that's what you get for not driving on I-99!    clearly, you must neither drive on I-99, nor not drive on I-99, and only then will the Pennsylvania Turnpike be satisfied with your transponder.

[mightyace]

This is exactly why I will resist toll transponders as long as possible.

In other words, if the toll facilities want us to rely on transponders/reader combinations they need to make them reliable.

[froggie]

I think HBE was just unlucky.

[rickmastfan67]

I think HBE was just unlucky.

Agreed.  Never had a problem here.

[hbelkins]

It's possible I had exhausted my balance and it had not replenished. I did have a replenishment added to my tag during the trip.

[Alex]

It's possible I had exhausted my balance and it had not replenished. I did have a replenishment added to my tag during the trip.

That is possible if auto replenishment did not catch up fast enough. My recent travels through Baltimore took my EZPass account balance down to $11. A couple days after I got back, the auto replenishment kicked in with a $25 deposit.

[vdeane]

Personally I don't use the auto-replenish.  I don't like the idea of something automatically charging my credit card.

[PAHighways]

I was expecting an e-mail about this issue like everyone sends me .

The only issue I've had in my nine years of E-ZPass ownership was back in 2005 when the battery in my old transponder was dying and would only register an entry or an exit point.  However, it was still calculating the toll correctly.  When I contacted the PTC to tell them of this issue, they said I was racking up V(iolation)Tolls and diagnosed it as a dying battery and sent me a new transponder.

[mightyace]

^^^

I wish these transponders had a couple of things:

1) Audio and visual confirmation of toll.  (A green light and a beep.)
2) An LCD display to show recent tolls and arrow key's to move through history.
3) A USB port so either:
   a) You can download your toll information to your computer.
   b) Toll authorities can view the information to validate toll payment.
4) And, based on the previous post, a low battery warning.

Sure, this would make the transponders a little more expensive, but having peace of mind that the #(*&(#% box worked would be worth it for me!

[TheStranger]

mightyace: You don't hear a beeping sound with those transponders?  I know California's Fastrak has that, though for all the data associated with the transponder, one must log onto the Fastrak website or call them.

[mightyace]

mightyace: You don't hear a beeping sound with those transponders?  I know California's Fastrak has that, though for all the data associated with the transponder, one must log onto the Fastrak website or call them.

I don't own a transponder, so I'm only working on what I've read and heard.  AFAIK The only one EZPass compatible one the did that was the original IPass from Illinois.

In any case, I don't think any transponder has any other item on my wish list.

[JREwing78]

Indiana uses the same exact style of transponder as Illinois. No lights, no beeps, nothing. Your only confirmation that it worked is either the lack of angry letters in the mail, or going through a toll booth with a gate with the light.

I've had the I-Zoom (Indiana's name for the EZPass) not register at the toll booth at the border, and then register at the very next exit. The transponder was fine; their scanner just didn't pick it up.

[J N Winkler]

mightyace: You don't hear a beeping sound with those transponders?  I know California's Fastrak has that, though for all the data associated with the transponder, one must log onto the Fastrak website or call them.

How is the beep accessible to a deaf person?

[agentsteel53]

How is the beep accessible to a deaf person?

the last time I had a transponder, I rented a car out of Philadelphia and it came with whatever device is used on the NJ Turnpike (probably the Penna Turnpike too).  There was a beep and a green light that shone quite brightly for about 1.5-2 seconds.  I think by strategic placement of the transponder in one's field of view it can be made accessible.

that said, that is just one style of transponder.  

[vdeane]

The ones in NY are basically just a piece of plastic.  No beep, no light, no nothing.

[rickmastfan67]

The ones in NY are basically just a piece of plastic.  No beep, no light, no nothing.

Same with the Peace Bridge ones.

[hbelkins]

The ones in NY are basically just a piece of plastic.  No beep, no light, no nothing.

Same with the Peace Bridge ones.

And the WV one I have.

This reminds me: I have two transponders from the Peace Bridge that have never been used. I ordered them with what was advertised to be plenty of lead time to get them before my wife went on a trip last summer. They didn't arrive in the allotted time so I drove to Charleston and got a WV tag. The Peace Bridge tags showed up after she got home from her trip. I need to send them back and get my 50 bucks refunded.

[Brandon]

Out of curiousity, can you view your EZ-Pass transponder tolls paids online for other agencies?  We can do so in Illinois for I-Pass:
https://www.getipass.com/ipass/LoginPin.jsp
We can see the entire history of tolls we've paid.

[SSOWorld]

I usually fill my transponder to a large amount before doing a road trip that involves more than the Illinois Tollway (I have an I-Pass btw ) and I was hesitant about using the open-road tolling at first because I was afraid it wouldn't register. (not the case anymore).  Getting a new transponder will allow one to use it on the home agency's roads instantly - but not partner agencies for a short time period (because it hadn't filtered down to them yet).

The Skyway and Indiana toll road have LED readouts saying the device was accepted.  PTC has red/green lights in the slow lanes telling one that the transponder was read (I went through one express lane on the Penn Tpk - at the west closed loop gate by I-79) and had no problems.  I haven't done any toll roads other than IL, IN and PA (OH was manual at the time that I last used it)

[PAHighways]

The signals in the plaza lanes, which I go into detail on this page, don't really provide any help with tag read errors.  When I had my aforementioned problems with my old transponder, the signals kept displaying green or "THANK YOU."  So I figured everything was fine, until I checked my statements on their website.

[hbelkins]

Not sure if this makes any difference, but but upon further review, my two errors took place not at Breezewood and Bedford on I-76, but on Turnpike 43, first at the high-speed tollgate between Uniontown and Brownsville, and next at the slow-speed plaza just south of I-70 near California. I had forgotten about passing through these toll gates until I was reviewing my pics from that trip today. Perhaps it's possible the battery died on my E-ZPass between Bedford and Uniontown? The transponder is only a year old. Well, I've had it only a year. No telling how long it was gathering dust in West Virginia before I received it.

[froggie]

Out of curiousity, can you view your EZ-Pass transponder tolls paids online for other agencies?  We can do so in Illinois for I-Pass:
https://www.getipass.com/ipass/LoginPin.jsp
We can see the entire history of tolls we've paid.

I know you can with the New York-based tags.  Haven't tried yet with my Virginia-based tag.