Will Sunpass work on EZPass lanes in Virginia and Maryland?

[mtantillo]

You are right, vdeane - I AM confused and have EZPass on the brain since I am in EZPass territory today!!  Allow me to buy you dinner for pointing out that there is no EZPass in Florida (and I live there)!  EPass vs EZPass, good googa mooga, thanks for the clarification.. Last time I went thru Miami was last June on the way to the Keys.  So to travel up north I need to purchase another sticker (or transponder) to slap on the inside of my windshield - for EZPass.  I bet if I'm confused so are others, so that's yet another reason to get this all into a national system.

Yes, there used to be two options for paying tolls over the Thousand Islands Bridge, US $1.50 and Canada $2.00.  Omg, so now what do they have?  It's been a long time since the US dollar was worth 30% more than the Canadian dollar.  If anything, it's the other way around now.

Thanks for explaining gantrys, cpzilliacus and 1995hoo.. I forgot there are different charges based upon the time of day.  I live in Orlando but don't think about different prices at different times of the day - I know there are sufficient funds in my account to take care of it whatever it is whatever time it is.  I think this might be what you guys were talking about earlier.. so if rush hour is at 3pm - 7pm for example, what happens if I enter the toll lane in Alexandria at 2.45pm and exit around Lorton at 3.05pm?  I'm sure I will get charged for the higher rate regardless of the number of miles I traveled between 2.45pm and 3pm or when I got clocked in Alexandria, right?

kphoger, I agree, I'd be happier paying cash to a nice person in a tollbooth until they get this all straightened out, tested, and working.

Yawn indeed, lol...

E-ZPasses are box transponders, not stickers.  Think more like "SunPass Portable" as opposed to "SunPass Mini".  Each state has their own terms and conditions, with some charging for the transponders vs. others that give them for free, and some charging monthly fees vs. others that do not.  If you want to sign up for an E-ZPass before your trip, consider Massachusetts E-ZPass...one of the only ones left with no monthly fee and a free transponder. 

Thousand Island Bridge toll is $2.50 in either currency I believe. 

The price for the I-495 and I-95 Express Lanes is dynamic, meaning it doesn't change on a set schedule.  It changes as more traffic gets into the lanes.  It could be a quiet rush hour and the price will never jump above the minimum, or it could be a busy Sunday night and the price could be high.  You pay based on what the sign says when you enter the I-495 Express Lanes (and lock in that rate for the entire trip), whereas the I-95 Express Lanes will work differently and you pay for each segment based on what the sign says when you get to that segment (either on the regular lanes or on the previous Express Lane segment).  You can then decide to continue in/enter the Express Lanes, or stay out/exit.

But in general, most time-based systems that charge based on time spent (parking) or distance travelled (transit or tolls) charge based on the time of entry into the system.  Washington DC Metrorail is a good example of this. 

And to travel on a toll road, no need to understand the entirety of the E-ZPass or SunPass system.  I do because I find it interesting and have spent many hours and days researching this, but for the average user, just google the specific toll facility you will travel on or the toll agency for the area you will be traveling to.  Chances are there won't be too many.  This way you can know in advance what form of payment is accepted, what the toll rates are, etc. 

[deathtopumpkins]

And to travel on a toll road, no need to understand the entirety of the E-ZPass or SunPass system.  I do because I find it interesting and have spent many hours and days researching this, but for the average user, just google the specific toll facility you will travel on or the toll agency for the area you will be traveling to.  Chances are there won't be too many.  This way you can know in advance what form of payment is accepted, what the toll rates are, etc.

To expand on this, every toll facility I know of lists the cash and E-ZPass rates plainly on their website, with the long-distance toll roads even posting a calculator tool where you put in your entrance and exit points and what type of vehicle you're driving so you can know exactly what to pay ahead of time. Even for a multi-state, all-day drive you shouldn't have to spend more than 10 minutes looking up toll rates ahead of time.

[norahs]

So you can set up an E-ZPass account from any state?  I can't believe other E-ZPass states also charge monthly fees.. that's really a cheap shot.  Wondering why anyone would set up an account in any state other than Massachusetts then? 

I'm going to have to agree with kphoger, about liking a cash payment option.  That way you can pay and get it over with - no research, no bills to arrive in the mail, no paying a monthly fee, nothing to stick on the windshield.  It's just sounding better and better.  I'd be happy to just hand the money to a toll operator (a job for someone) or toss it in a basket, or taking a ticket and paying when you want to exit.  I'm liking the old-fashioned system better and better, or at least until they get a smoothly functioning national system.  It's not that I'm a luddite, because I keep up with technology, but they shouldn't turn out a system halfway.

Of course in addition to a cash option, until they do roll out a fully functional and interchangeable national system, they could also have the cashless sticker-/transponder- option for people who routinely travel in that state.  I remember when the toll lanes first came to the Beltway, it was almost a disaster with everyone going every which way and all the accidents.  Imagine everyone assuming that their E-ZPass is going to work in every state as it is today.  What do you think?

[briantroutman]

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is planning to convert to all electronic tolling (cashless), which will mean a "barrier" between each interchange.

Is this really the case? Meaning that the PA Turnpike would go all mainline barriers instead of interchange tolling. If so, I haven't seen it reported anywhere. It seems to me that it would be just as easy to keep tolling at the interchanges and de-man the booths.

Even the most ardent states' rights supporters will generally agree that the federal government has a legitimate role in facilitating free and open commerce between states, so I don't think that nationwide standards on tolling practices is unreasonable. In my opinion, charging premiums to out-of-state motorists is predatory and anti-business.

As fuel tax revenues decline and are increasingly replaced by tolls, the fair and efficient collection of tolls across all areas is going to become an even more important issue.

[mtantillo]

So you can set up an E-ZPass account from any state?  I can't believe other E-ZPass states also charge monthly fees.. that's really a cheap shot.  Wondering why anyone would set up an account in any state other than Massachusetts then? 

Because most people don't like to research the fine print, and will see advertising from E-ZPass in that particular state, so they will get that state's transponder. 

Also, when you sign up online, if you try to sign up on the "wrong" state's website, the very first question will ask you where you live, and will bounce you to the E-ZPass site for your own state (or the nearest state if that state doesn't have it....for example, California would likely bounce to Illinois).  So you have to trick it.  Lie on the first page and say you live in whatever state you are trying to sign up for, just to get past the "gatekeeper function". Then when you fill out the application, you can fill in your actual address. 

The states want you to sign up for that state's E-ZPass if you will use their toll roads most, because it is simpler to process in-state transactions than out of state ones.  And no agency wants the "burden" of maintaining accounts that are primarily used on other facilities and never on their own home facility.  So they encourage this with discounts.  Not saying I agree, just explaining the rationale from the toll agency's perspective. 

California also has different agencies that issue FasTrak tags.  SR 125, SANDAG (I-15 Express Lanes), LA Metro (I-10/I-110 Express Lanes), "The Toll Roads" (Orange County), and the Bay Area agencies.  They have a way of keeping as many people as possible using "local" tags...minimum usage rules.  I think all agencies except for "The Toll Roads" have this...you have a minimum use of $4.50 per month.  You can spend that money on tolls on your home agency's facility, but any tolls outside your home agency's facility won't count towards that minimum.  At the end of the month, they will charge you the difference.  So if you have $5 in tolls on your home agency's facility, you pay $5.  If you have $5 in tolls on other facilites, you'll pay $9.50 ($5 tolls + $4.50 minimum usage).  If you have $2 in tolls on your home facility and $5 on other facilities, you'll pay $7.50 ($4.50 - $2 + $5)...etc.  The Toll Roads charge a $2.00/month fee with no minimum usage (I think...didn't read the fine print too closely). 

[mtantillo]

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is planning to convert to all electronic tolling (cashless), which will mean a "barrier" between each interchange.

Is this really the case? Meaning that the PA Turnpike would go all mainline barriers instead of interchange tolling. If so, I haven't seen it reported anywhere. It seems to me that it would be just as easy to keep tolling at the interchanges and de-man the booths.

Even the most ardent states' rights supporters will generally agree that the federal government has a legitimate role in facilitating free and open commerce between states, so I don't think that nationwide standards on tolling practices is unreasonable. In my opinion, charging premiums to out-of-state motorists is predatory and anti-business.

As fuel tax revenues decline and are increasingly replaced by tolls, the fair and efficient collection of tolls across all areas is going to become an even more important issue.

I think the PA Turnpike thing isn't a big deal, because as a user with all electronic tolls, it doesn't matter to you where the toll tag is read, just drive like it is a normal road.  The "mainline gantries" are better than "entry/exit" gantries, because you don't have to match an entry with an exit to process the transaction.  Just process each segment at a fixed amount.  The tolls can be "bundled" before they are posted to your account, but they don't have to be.  If your tag mis-reads, they can post partial trips...whereas if it misreads on entry or exit they don't know where you got on or got off and have to "guess". 

Nationwide interoperability hasn't happened yet because the best example of interoperability uses antiquated technology (E-ZPass).  Other agencies use better technology (stickers that cost about $1 each, no batteries to replace) don't want to change to E-ZPass, and E-ZPass doesn't want to abandon their system using other hardware.  But that will change soon, as there is a mandate from Congress to have "National Interoperability" by 2016.  Most likely this will be license-plate based, not transponder based, because the different transponder types are just too costly to replace in a short time frame.  Better then nothing, but you better believe that toll agencies will STRONGLY encourage (through use of discounts, fees, or whatever) local people to use the local transponder and to not use license-plate based image tolls for the majority of their trips, because those image transactions are much more costly to process than transponder-based transactions. 

I agree that charging more to out-of-state motorists is predatory.  But unfortunately, for the time being, the courts have upheld it.  The court's interpretation is that "out of state motorists" are not charged higher fees, but "motorists with out of state transponders" are charged higher fees.  In otherwords, anyone from out of state could get an in-state transponder and pay the lower fee if they would like.  Drivers from that state that, for whatever reason, use a transponder from a different state will pay the higher fee.  There was a Federal court case about this in Massachusetts where a driver with a NY tag was complaining he was paying higher tolls in Boston as a result of his New York transponder.  The judge said he was free to get a Massachusetts transponder if he wanted to take advantage of the discount program. 

I disagree with the spirit of this, because if we wanted to get all the discounts for paying electronically, we'd have to carry multiple transponders, which defeats the purpose of interoperability.  But for now, the Feds say "it is okay". 

I personally have two E-ZPass transponders....because MTA in NY gives a HUGE discount to E-ZPass NY customers. I don't live there, but my parents do, and when I drive up that way, I'm often taking a bunch of trips in a short timespan.  But the toll facilities I drive most are in Maryland, and obviously I want their discount.  And I want a Flex transponder for use on I-495...so I have a Maryland account too. 

I typically drive around DC area with my Maryland transponder up (so I can flip over to HOV mode in the Express Lanes easily).  Obviously will also use it on long trips heading north as far as Delaware to take advantage of Maryland discounts.  But on any trip to or beyond Delaware, I'll swap over to my NY tag, because I'm typically racking up a lot of tolls and prefer NY's "pay as you go" plan as opposed to having to maintain a large account balance in Maryland (the goal is no more than one $25 replenishment/month on the Maryland account).  The only thing that trumps these rules is that all tolls for business purposes I'll pay with my NY transponder because I can print out a receipt for an individual transaction on my NY account (Maryland, despite having a very similar user interface, does not have this functionality).  Although Massachusetts has a sweet deal, I don't go there enough to justify maintaining another account, so I just suck up the extra 25 cents per plaza the few times I'm up there. 

[cpzilliacus]

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is planning to convert to all electronic tolling (cashless), which will mean a "barrier" between each interchange.

Is this really the case? Meaning that the PA Turnpike would go all mainline barriers instead of interchange tolling. If so, I haven't seen it reported anywhere. It seems to me that it would be just as easy to keep tolling at the interchanges and de-man the booths.

Pennsylvania Turnpike all electronic tolling: http://www.paturnpike.com/aet_public/aet.asp

See TOLLROADSnews: Penn Pike chooses HNTB to manage move to AET/cashless tolling

Converting to gantries between the interchanges will allow the  Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to have "regular" interchanges instead of the "double trumpet" interchanges (or breezewoods) that is predominantly used on the Turnpike system today.

Even the most ardent states' rights supporters will generally agree that the federal government has a legitimate role in facilitating free and open commerce between states, so I don't think that nationwide standards on tolling practices is unreasonable. In my opinion, charging premiums to out-of-state motorists is predatory and anti-business.

As fuel tax revenues decline and are increasingly replaced by tolls, the fair and efficient collection of tolls across all areas is going to become an even more important issue.

Agreed.

[vdeane]

But it's highly unlikely the Turnpike will convert existing interchanges over within the next 50 years.  As for new ones, can't you put gantries over the ramps?

I don't like the idea of having a zillion barrier tolls showing up on my statement when I could have a single entry/exit one.  Plus, since I have a Thruway tag, anything that isn't exit/entry looks funny on the statement.

[1995hoo]

But it's highly unlikely the Turnpike will convert existing interchanges over within the next 50 years.  As for new ones, can't you put gantries over the ramps?

I don't like the idea of having a zillion barrier tolls showing up on my statement when I could have a single entry/exit one.  Plus, since I have a Thruway tag, anything that isn't exit/entry looks funny on the statement.

Depending on how the gantries work, you may not have a bunch of virtual barrier tolls. The 495 Express Lanes in Virginia and the ICC in Maryland work like "ticket system" toll roads even though the gantries are over the travel lanes and you pass under several of them as you drive (example: if I go from home to the mall at Tysons, I pass under either six or seven gantries on the Beltway). Every gantry reads your transponder, but only the first and last gantries you pass show up on your statement and only a single charge posts.

[Mr_Northside]

But it's highly unlikely the Turnpike will convert existing interchanges over within the next 50 years.  As for new ones, can't you put gantries over the ramps?

I don't know that the PTC would do anything drastic with existing interchanges (though, from earlier in PA Turnpike thread, the Monroeville interchange is supposed to get "vastly reconfigured".)  AET would certainly be helpful by making it easier to add new "conventional" interchanges, and if they were to put a brand new diamond interchange in somewhere, they might not want to have 4 separate overhead EZ-Pass structures for each ramp.

I don't like the idea of having a zillion barrier tolls showing up on my statement when I could have a single entry/exit one.

While that's understandable, IMO the only thing I personally care about is that it still ends up being a "per mile" toll, which either method will achieve.

[cpzilliacus]

But it's highly unlikely the Turnpike will convert existing interchanges over within the next 50 years.  As for new ones, can't you put gantries over the ramps?

I don't like the idea of having a zillion barrier tolls showing up on my statement when I could have a single entry/exit one.  Plus, since I have a Thruway tag, anything that isn't exit/entry looks funny on the statement.

Depending on how the gantries work, you may not have a bunch of virtual barrier tolls. The 495 Express Lanes in Virginia and the ICC in Maryland work like "ticket system" toll roads even though the gantries are over the travel lanes and you pass under several of them as you drive (example: if I go from home to the mall at Tysons, I pass under either six or seven gantries on the Beltway). Every gantry reads your transponder, but only the first and last gantries you pass show up on your statement and only a single charge posts.

Yeah.  The MdTA E-ZPass statements show an "entry plaza" and an "exit plaza" for Md. 200 and the 495 Express Lanes, even though there are only gantries along the way.

[1995hoo]

But it's highly unlikely the Turnpike will convert existing interchanges over within the next 50 years.  As for new ones, can't you put gantries over the ramps?

I don't like the idea of having a zillion barrier tolls showing up on my statement when I could have a single entry/exit one.  Plus, since I have a Thruway tag, anything that isn't exit/entry looks funny on the statement.

Depending on how the gantries work, you may not have a bunch of virtual barrier tolls. The 495 Express Lanes in Virginia and the ICC in Maryland work like "ticket system" toll roads even though the gantries are over the travel lanes and you pass under several of them as you drive (example: if I go from home to the mall at Tysons, I pass under either six or seven gantries on the Beltway). Every gantry reads your transponder, but only the first and last gantries you pass show up on your statement and only a single charge posts.

Yeah.  The MdTA E-ZPass statements show an "entry plaza" and an "exit plaza" for Md. 200 and the 495 Express Lanes, even though there are only gantries along the way.

My electronic statement from Virginia is the same.

[briantroutman]

But it's highly unlikely the Turnpike will convert existing interchanges over within the next 50 years.  As for new ones, can't you put gantries over the ramps?

I don't know that the PTC would do anything drastic with existing interchanges (though, from earlier in PA Turnpike thread, the Monroeville interchange is supposed to get "vastly reconfigured".)  AET would certainly be helpful by making it easier to add new "conventional" interchanges, and if they were to put a brand new diamond interchange in somewhere, they might not want to have 4 separate overhead EZ-Pass structures for each ramp.

The Monroeville interchange is one of those kiddie-sized pieces of civil engineering that make me weep ("...only in Pennsylvania") anytime I go back home. The fact that there's a one-lane 25 MPH ramp carrying what ostensibly would be the mainline of one of the heaviest cross-state motor routes (Philadelphia to Pittsburgh) is particularly laughable (or sad, depending on how you look at it). I know; it's the price we pay for having been a pioneer in the '40s.

There may be a need for more interchanges in the Philadelphia area. Actually, strategically placing slip ramps–such as on key arterials like PA 63 and 73–might alleviate traffic backups at the existing interchanges and on the rest of the surface street network. This might also make the turnpike a more attractive option for local traffic and boost overall volume, especially at non-peak times.

Maybe eventually, the "ticket" system would end around Downingtown, and overhead gantries would be used from that point eastward to New Jersey. The Northeast Extension could probably be open tolling from Lehigh Valley southward with all of the suburban development in Bucks and Montgomery counties.

But the vast majority of the existing Pennsylvania Turnpike, basically from Irwin to Downingtown and Allentown to Scranton, I really don't see much opportunity to add new interchanges. And if all the trumpets remain untouched, it might be just as cost effective to maintain all-electronic closed tolling for the rural part of the system. But of course I'd have to see the actual cost figures.

[cpzilliacus]

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is planning to convert to all electronic tolling (cashless), which will mean a "barrier" between each interchange.

Is this really the case? Meaning that the PA Turnpike would go all mainline barriers instead of interchange tolling. If so, I haven't seen it reported anywhere. It seems to me that it would be just as easy to keep tolling at the interchanges and de-man the booths.

From the illustrations on the PTC Web site, it implies that they will transition to a mainline "barrier" system.  It should greatly simplify the addition of new entry and egress points.

Even the most ardent states' rights supporters will generally agree that the federal government has a legitimate role in facilitating free and open commerce between states, so I don't think that nationwide standards on tolling practices is unreasonable. In my opinion, charging premiums to out-of-state motorists is predatory and anti-business.

I agree.  Congress should adopt a "checklist" of things that toll road operators must (and must not) do in order for their bonds to qualify for favorable federal tax treatment. 

I have suggested this stuff elsewhere, but here are some of the things that should be on that "checklist:"

(1) No discrimination against transponders issued by other toll road operators or owners.
(2) Positively no breezewoods or breezewood-like non-connections (aside from Pennsylvania, I can name breezewoods in New Jersey and Florida, though I believe there are others).
(3) Compliance with AASHTO/FHWA design standards and the MUTCD.
(4) Reasonable request for access to toll road mainlines should be accommodated (yes, this impacts the Pennsylvania Turnpike).

As fuel tax revenues decline and are increasingly replaced by tolls, the fair and efficient collection of tolls across all areas is going to become an even more important issue.

Agreed.  Especially the fair part.

But it's highly unlikely the Turnpike will convert existing interchanges over within the next 50 years.  As for new ones, can't you put gantries over the ramps?

Yes, the gantries could be over the ramps.  That's how Highway 407 in Ontario has always been configured.

I don't like the idea of having a zillion barrier tolls showing up on my statement when I could have a single entry/exit one.  Plus, since I have a Thruway tag, anything that isn't exit/entry looks funny on the statement.

As others suggested above, even with mainline gantries, you get "ticket system" type tolling.

[NE2]

(2) Positively no breezwoods or breezewood-like non-connections (aside from Pennsylvania, I can name breezewoods in New Jersey and Florida, though I believe there are others).

Since Fort Pierce isn't a "breezewood" (you can simply use I-95 all the way from Miami), you must be talking about the SR 417 crossing near Orlando. Which toll authority gets the blame? Can OOCEA fuck up the Turnpike's bonds by refusing a connection?

[jeffandnicole]

You do understand that Breezewood is I-70 to I-70 via surface streets, right?  The NJ Turnpike to NJ 42 is not a 'Breezewood'. 

If anything, I-676 to I-676 in Philadelphia is more of a Breezewood than your definition, even though you're not passing by local businesses.

[cpzilliacus]

You do understand that Breezewood is I-70 to I-70 via surface streets, right?  The NJ Turnpike to NJ 42 is not a 'Breezewood'.

I have driven through  the real Breezewood many times, and am (unfortunately) quite familiar with it, though I make it my business to never, ever stop there.

N.J. Turnpike to N.J. 42 qualifies (in my opinion) as a  breezewood-like non-connection. "breezewood-like" meaning non-connections between one freeway and a crossing freeway or freeways that forces a (sometimes circuitous) detour over non-access-controlled streets or highways. 

Note for the  record that I mean freeway in terms of federal functional classification, not the lack of tolls.

If anything, I-676 to I-676 in Philadelphia is more of a Breezewood than your definition, even though you're not passing by local businesses.

I don't dispute that.

[cpzilliacus]

TOLLROADSnews: E-ZPass IAG-TDM specs now open source, available for download, "aids national IOP" - Kapsch, IAG

2013-04-25: Kapsch has released the specifications of the time division multiplexing (TDM) protocols used in E-ZPass electronic toll collection signaling. Both patented and unpatented proprietary codes associated with what has been called the IAG system are now an open standard, free for all to download and use, says Chris Murray, president and CEO of Kapsch Trafficom North America, based in McLean Virginia.

Kapsch bought the rights to the IAG-TDM protocols in 2010 when it bought Mark IV Industries, the Mississauga Ontario startup company that had written the initial RF signaling codes about twenty years ago and defeated the toll industry leader TransCore (then Amtech) in the competition for the world's biggest electronic toll procurement conducted by the Inter Agency Group (IAG) of E-ZPass.  Mark IV made many additions and tweaks to the codes over the years since they have to work in an array of tolling environments from the dense traffic of New York City through the highspeed of the Ohio Turnpike to small bridges across the Delaware and Hudson Rivers.

The IAG-TDM protocol is now available to "all interested parties" including competing toll system suppliers free of any royalty and in perpetuity. The only requirement, Murray told us in an interview yesterday (the news was provided under an embargo against use until 8am Apr 25) is that those downloading the protocol sign a license agreement in which they commit to make available without restriction any derivative or supplementary applications or code they write for the IAG-TDM.

[cpzilliacus]

TOLLROADSnews: Egis and Sanef JV to build first N American toll interoperability hub for ATI - to start by end of year

2013-07-19:  an American based joint venture of Egis Projects and Sanef, Secure Interagency Flow LLC (SIF) has a contract with the Alliance for Toll Interoperability (ATI) to build and operate the first full toll transactions clearing hub in North America for transactions of others' account holders. Detailed terms of the contract were accepted by ATI board Friday (7/19). Tollers who are members of ATI can enroll and make transaction processing arrangements with SIF from September.

Actual daily processing of accountholders transactions at the HUB will begin January 1, 2014.

(HUB all-uppercase is an informal brand term being used by ATI.)

Potentially a boon to tollers and a major breakthrough for seamless electronic toll operations across the continent the HUB project does need to generate a critical mass of participation and patronage to be attractive and viable.  And of course since the transactions potentially clearable through the HUB depend on the number of tollers participating and the numbers of account holders they represent, its attraction will not be great early on - the critical mass issue.

[cpzilliacus]

Bumping this thread with a relevant article from TOLLROADSnews.

TransCore making moves on national IOP - enhanced eZGo Anywhere tag and nationwide account management

TransCore is proposing an enhanced version of its multi-protocol eZGo Anywhere transponder as a major vehicular platform for national interoperability plus the option of account management at a national level. Company president Tracy Marks has put the proposal to the Alliance for Toll Interoperability (ATI) in a letter their board of directors is considering this week.

TransCore has made no announcement of the move and so far has chosen not to offer comment on it.

TransCore's present eZGo Anywhere (eZGo-A) transponders handle IAG protocols in E-ZPass toll country and SeGo, eGO and the older ATA as used in the south.

There does seem to be consumer demand for interoperable equipment, based on experience in North Carolina.

North Carolina Turnpike (NCTA) did what they call a "soft launch" of the eZGo-A - no major promotional activity, just listing it as an option on their website basically. And they have not given it a distinctive brandname.

They simply call the eZGo-A a Hard Case NC QUICK PASS, cost $20 and list E-ZPass as well as NC and SunPass under "Accepted Facilities." (The regular Sticker NC QUICK PASS is $5, and lists Florida's SunPasss as well as NC.) see nearby

Yet despite this lowkey marketing they are selling about 1,200 of the multi-protocol transponder out of a total 4,000 tags sold each month.

[bzakharin]

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is planning to convert to all electronic tolling (cashless), which will mean a "barrier" between each interchange.

Is this really the case? Meaning that the PA Turnpike would go all mainline barriers instead of interchange tolling. If so, I haven't seen it reported anywhere. It seems to me that it would be just as easy to keep tolling at the interchanges and de-man the booths.

Even the most ardent states' rights supporters will generally agree that the federal government has a legitimate role in facilitating free and open commerce between states, so I don't think that nationwide standards on tolling practices is unreasonable. In my opinion, charging premiums to out-of-state motorists is predatory and anti-business.

As fuel tax revenues decline and are increasingly replaced by tolls, the fair and efficient collection of tolls across all areas is going to become an even more important issue.

I think the PA Turnpike thing isn't a big deal, because as a user with all electronic tolls, it doesn't matter to you where the toll tag is read, just drive like it is a normal road.  The "mainline gantries" are better than "entry/exit" gantries, because you don't have to match an entry with an exit to process the transaction.  Just process each segment at a fixed amount.  The tolls can be "bundled" before they are posted to your account, but they don't have to be.  If your tag mis-reads, they can post partial trips...whereas if it misreads on entry or exit they don't know where you got on or got off and have to "guess". 

Nationwide interoperability hasn't happened yet because the best example of interoperability uses antiquated technology (E-ZPass).  Other agencies use better technology (stickers that cost about $1 each, no batteries to replace) don't want to change to E-ZPass, and E-ZPass doesn't want to abandon their system using other hardware.  But that will change soon, as there is a mandate from Congress to have "National Interoperability" by 2016.  Most likely this will be license-plate based, not transponder based, because the different transponder types are just too costly to replace in a short time frame.  Better then nothing, but you better believe that toll agencies will STRONGLY encourage (through use of discounts, fees, or whatever) local people to use the local transponder and to not use license-plate based image tolls for the majority of their trips, because those image transactions are much more costly to process than transponder-based transactions. 

I agree that charging more to out-of-state motorists is predatory.  But unfortunately, for the time being, the courts have upheld it.  The court's interpretation is that "out of state motorists" are not charged higher fees, but "motorists with out of state transponders" are charged higher fees.  In otherwords, anyone from out of state could get an in-state transponder and pay the lower fee if they would like.  Drivers from that state that, for whatever reason, use a transponder from a different state will pay the higher fee.  There was a Federal court case about this in Massachusetts where a driver with a NY tag was complaining he was paying higher tolls in Boston as a result of his New York transponder.  The judge said he was free to get a Massachusetts transponder if he wanted to take advantage of the discount program. 

I disagree with the spirit of this, because if we wanted to get all the discounts for paying electronically, we'd have to carry multiple transponders, which defeats the purpose of interoperability.  But for now, the Feds say "it is okay". 

I personally have two E-ZPass transponders....because MTA in NY gives a HUGE discount to E-ZPass NY customers. I don't live there, but my parents do, and when I drive up that way, I'm often taking a bunch of trips in a short timespan.  But the toll facilities I drive most are in Maryland, and obviously I want their discount.  And I want a Flex transponder for use on I-495...so I have a Maryland account too. 

I typically drive around DC area with my Maryland transponder up (so I can flip over to HOV mode in the Express Lanes easily).  Obviously will also use it on long trips heading north as far as Delaware to take advantage of Maryland discounts.  But on any trip to or beyond Delaware, I'll swap over to my NY tag, because I'm typically racking up a lot of tolls and prefer NY's "pay as you go" plan as opposed to having to maintain a large account balance in Maryland (the goal is no more than one $25 replenishment/month on the Maryland account).  The only thing that trumps these rules is that all tolls for business purposes I'll pay with my NY transponder because I can print out a receipt for an individual transaction on my NY account (Maryland, despite having a very similar user interface, does not have this functionality).  Although Massachusetts has a sweet deal, I don't go there enough to justify maintaining another account, so I just suck up the extra 25 cents per plaza the few times I'm up there. 

So, I signed up for E-ZPass NY online and selected the MTA version (I live in NJ), and then lo and behold, they are charging me a maintenance fee. I called them up and they said that they automatically give you the Port Authority one if you live outside the state. First of all, isn't that lying - nowhere on the website does it say that this is the case, and I didn't lye about my state (NJ residents don't get redirected to a different page)? Second, isn't it discriminatory (only residents of NY state can get the MTA version)?

[cpzilliacus]

So, when I signed up for E-ZPass NY online and selected the MTA version (I live in NJ), and then lo and behold, they are charging me a maintenance fee. I called them up and they said that they automatically give you the Port Authority one if you live outside the state, first of all, isn't that lying - nowhere on the website does it say that this is the case, and I didn't lye about my state (NJ residents don't get redirected to a different page) - and also discriminatory (only residents of NY state can get the MTA version)?

Curiously, when I stopped at the Milford, Connecticut service plaza on the toll-free (at least for now) Connecticut Turnpike last summer, the convenience store was selling MTA E-ZPass transponders - perhaps because Connecticut has no toll roads at all for the time being.

[vdeane]

It's worth noting that the Port Authority is both NY and NJ, which is why they can charge the fee.

[cpzilliacus]

WJXT-Channel 4: South Carolina could be next for Sunpass

Motorists may be able to use their Florida SunPass transponders on South Carolina's toll roads in the coming months and on drives between Kansas and Texas in about a year, according to a newsletter sent out Tuesday to SunPass customers.

"We expect that by late summer you will be able to use your SunPass transponder for your next trip to Hilton Head Island!" Florida's Turnpike Enterprise Executive Director Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said in the newsletter. "Also, by this time next year, we hope to have connected our SunPass Customer Service Center with the Central U.S. Interoperability Hub in Texas."

The state continues to work with E-ZPass agencies -- spread across 16 states in the Northeast and Midwest -- to link the technologies, Gutierrez-Scaccetti wrote.

"E-ZPass agencies do not yet have the capability to read SunPass," Gutierrez-Scaccetti wrote.

[1995hoo]

Have there been any updates on E-ZPass working in Florida? Doesn't matter too much since I have both, though if E-ZPass were operable there I might consider bagging the transponder once I'm south of Virginia simply as a hedge against getting charged twice, once on each system.