Automatic toll collection (E-ZPass, etc)

[Mr_Northside]

I had a similar issue as well.  There was some sort of issue that caused my bank to send out new credit/debit cards, and the numbers were changed.  This happened right when it was time for a replenishment (which I only need probably less than once a year), and I couldn't figure out why I was getting the "Yellow" light (on the PA-Tpk). 

My card expires in September, so I'll have to remember to update my EZ-Pass info then.  (But I bet I forget)

[SSOWorld]

Since I don't use it THAT often, i dont autoreplenish - that solves my expiration date problem.

[Troubleshooter]

More abuse of the people.

HOV lanes are wrong, and so are pay to use lanes.

Transponders violate some religions.

And the worst wrong is an exit with no toll collector except the transponder. That is a crime.

[Scott5114]

...what the fuck?

[froggie]

HOV lanes are wrong, and so are pay to use lanes.

Transponders violate some religions.

And the worst wrong is an exit with no toll collector except the transponder. That is a crime.

Please elaborate...

[agentsteel53]

only Xenu in his DC-9 is allowed to communicate via radio frequency.

[Brandon]

More abuse of the people.

HOV lanes are wrong, and so are pay to use lanes.

Transponders violate some religions.

And the worst wrong is an exit with no toll collector except the transponder. That is a crime.

Transponders are fine.  In fact, I love them.  Don't have roll down the fricking window to throw (or miss) my change into a basket anymore.

As for HOV lanes, I'm not convinced about them  They've floated proposals around here for a while, but adding trains would be a better option, IMHO.

[mightyace]

Transponders violate some religions.

Very few of the tollways in the U.S. are transponder only.  The only ones I can think of are near Houston (Fort Bend Parkway and one other one).  Therefore, if a transponder violates a religious and/or philosophical view, you can go through without one and pay cash if available or pay by plate.

And, if there are alternatives, don't take the toll road!

[TheStranger]

Very few of the tollways in the U.S. are transponder only.  The only ones I can think of are near Houston (Fort Bend Parkway and one other one).

Toll 183A in the northwest suburbs of Austin isn't technically transponder-only, but there are no tollbooths - drivers without TxTag transponders are directed to pay-by-mail.

[mightyace]

^^^
Yes, most toll roads that are all electronic are that way.

But, the Fort Bend Parkway and Westpark Tollway (I looked it up: https://www.hctra.org/tollroads/) are transponder only.  If you go on them without a transponder you will get a violation with it's hefty fee.  (The same as going through the EZPass only lanes in PA, OH, IL and other places.

[Brandon]

^^^
Yes, most toll roads that are all electronic are that way.

But, the Fort Bend Parkway and Westpark Tollway (I looked it up: https://www.hctra.org/tollroads/) are transponder only.  If you go on them without a transponder you will get a violation with it's hefty fee.  (The same as going through the EZPass only lanes in PA, OH, IL and other places.

In Illinois, if you inadvertently go through the ORT lanes, you have a grace period of seven days to pay the toll before getting fined.  That should be more than enough for Cheeseheads without transponders.

[agentsteel53]

I once accidentally ran a toll gate in Denver on E-470 and they caught up to me six months later ... they sent me a letter requesting payment of 75 cents.

[Brandon]

Given the proliferation of ETC, I think it is high time we had one system throughout the US rather than several competing systems.  Personally, I'm in favor of making EZ-Pass the standard as it is common to several states already from Illinois to Maine.

[Bickendan]

I once accidentally ran a toll gate in Denver on E-470 and they caught up to me six months later ... they sent me a letter requesting payment of 75 cents.

So did you send them three quarters?

[agentsteel53]

So did you send them three quarters?

nope, paid with credit card over the phone.  why pay an extra 39 (41?  I forget when this took place) cents postage for a 75 cent check?

[Scott5114]

So did you send them three quarters?

nope, paid with credit card over the phone.  why pay an extra 39 (41?  I forget when this took place) cents postage for a 75 cent check?

for the lulz. Someone would have had to carefully handle that 75¢, ensure it didn't get lost, and deposit it to the bank, before crediting your account. It probably would have caused 41¢ worth of inconvenience to them! 

[UptownRoadGeek]

I have a GeauxPass from Louisiana.

[Mr_Northside]

I just got a letter from E-ZPass (Which I have thru the PTC), announcing the 100% rate increase from $3 a year to $6 a year.  Not enough to make me consider giving it up (though I don't use it THAT often), but still...
Though the letter points out that tolls will be "cheaper" with E-Zpass on the PA Turnpike.

[Brandon]

I just got a letter from E-ZPass (Which I have thru the PTC), announcing the 100% rate increase from $3 a year to $6 a year.  Not enough to make me consider giving it up (though I don't use it THAT often), but still...
Though the letter points out that tolls will be "cheaper" with E-Zpass on the PA Turnpike.

Change it out for an EZ-Pass that doesn't have an annual fee.  For example, the ISTHA does not charge an annual fee for I-Pass (fully integrated with EZ-Pass).  It's a $10 deposit plus $40 in pre-paid tolls ($20 deposit if you use cash/check and don't have the automatic replenish option).

[citrus]

I've had NYSTA E-ZPass pretty much since it first came available....

I had a NYSTA E-ZPass back when I was a student in upstate NY. No monthly fee there with auto-replenishment. Got rid of it when I moved to CA, but I tried getting one this summer since I am back in the northeast for a few months. Unfortunately they sent me a Port Authority one, probably because I gave a NJ mailing address, and that one has a $1 fee. Too bad for them - I'm going to cancel that one as soon as I get back to CA, but I am eating the fee for 3 months here.

I have a Bay Area Fastrak (despite living in San Diego), which has no annual fee. The SoCal ones all seem to have some sort of fee.

My parents (in RI) have 2 E-ZPass accounts, a NYSTA one and a new Rhode Island one for the Newport Bridge. They go over the Newport Bridge often enough to get some special plan where it's 83 cents or so (this is the same effective price that you'd get using bulk tokens before they were discontinued), with cash or other E-ZPasses it's $4 each way (up from $2 before E-ZPass showed up in RI). They also go to NY/NJ often enough that it's worth having the toll discounts there, especially since the NYSTA E-ZPasses don't have any fees if you auto-replenish.

The only real problem I had was in (I believe) 1997, when I was away from home for a month.  I took the Thruway to the Pennsylvania line and everything seemed fine (I got the "E-ZPass GO").  So when a letter arrived from E-ZPass back at home, I said I'd look at it when I got home since I was sure it was just a statement.  But...it was a notice that my credit card expiration date had passed.  I just forgot to update it when I got a new card from the bank.  So I happily went along for the rest of the trip and used my E-ZPass again on the way home.  This time, I got the "Call E-ZPass" message.  Turns out, they suspended my account and I soon received a violation notice with something like a $50 fine for using a disabled account.  But in the end, it was all handled properly.  I called and explained what happened, gave them my new expiration date, and they removed the violation and all of the fines from my account.

A few weeks ago, my debit card was compromised and got cancelled. Before I got a new card, I went down to DC and went through quite a few tollbooths. I got an email saying that my card was not working and I had a negative balance. I got my new card a week later and replenished the account, and I never suffered any penalties.

I usually keep my transponders in the glove compartment in the bags, and when I have a passenger, it's that person's duty to have it ready for tollbooths. I was on the GSP south towards Atlantic City and I told my friend to get the E-ZPass ready 2 miles before the tollbooth - but he had never seen open road tolling before and didn't realize that's where the tollbooth was. They looked up my account based on my license plate and charged me the toll, but no extra violation fee or anything.

[xcellntbuy]

I have both a SunPass (for my Florida residence) and an E-Z Pass for my New York residence.

[vdeane]

They also go to NY/NJ often enough that it's worth having the toll discounts there, especially since the NYSTA E-ZPasses don't have any fees if you auto-replenish.

NYSTA doesn't have any fees even without auto-replenish.  The only difference is the $10 deposit without auto-replenish.

[myosh_tino]

I have a Bay Area Fastrak (despite living in San Diego), which has no annual fee. The SoCal ones all seem to have some sort of fee.

Just a word of warning.  If the Bay Area Toll Authority notices most of the activity on the account is occurring in southern California, they do reserve the right to start imposing a service maintenance fee.

From the FAQ section of the BATA/FasTrak website...
"FasTrak customers should open their account with the toll facility of primary usage. Customers may be charged a service maintenance fee if it is determined that the majority of their toll activity occurs at another facility."

[citrus]

I have a Bay Area Fastrak (despite living in San Diego), which has no annual fee. The SoCal ones all seem to have some sort of fee.

Just a word of warning.  If the Bay Area Toll Authority notices most of the activity on the account is occurring in southern California, they do reserve the right to start imposing a service maintenance fee.

From the FAQ section of the BATA/FasTrak website...
"FasTrak customers should open their account with the toll facility of primary usage. Customers may be charged a service maintenance fee if it is determined that the majority of their toll activity occurs at another facility."

Fair enough. Though, I never actually use the SoCal toll roads. So unless they charge me for inactivity (haven't used it in a year or so!), I think I'm in the clear.

[mightyace]

From the FAQ section of the BATA/FasTrak website...
"FasTrak customers should open their account with the toll facility of primary usage. Customers may be charged a service maintenance fee if it is determined that the majority of their toll activity occurs at another facility."

That's all well and good for now.  But, what about when they "universal" transponder finally arrives?  As I don't live near a toll facility, those I take could vary some from year to year.  Most years it would be either the Pennsylvania Turnpike System or the Ohio Turnpike but if I make an excursion elsewhere, something else might top the list?  Hey that might still happen within the EZPass zone.