Who here has a toll tag transponder?
I have an I-Pass - which thankfully interfaces with the E-ZPass system. Comes in handy for the northeast US roadtrips. :sombrero:
Also, on a side note, I noticed that states mentioned neighboring state's tag system (in the E-Z Pass zone) on their border toll gates. For instance, Illinois, MassPike and Indiana Toll Road mention E-ZPass (Skyway also mentions iZoom (coincidence since the Skyway is operated by the same company that operates the IN Toll Road?) Indiana Toll road mentions I-Pass, Ohio Turnpike mentions I-Pass and iZoom on westgate plaza, Thruway mentions MassPike's FastLane (at least on the Birkshire gate.
I have a Virginia-issued EZPass (which up until a couple years ago was called SmartTag). Comes in handy when I head to/from Vermont.
I have a SunPass from Florida, which is interoperable with Orlando's E-Pass system. It is not interoperable with systems in any other state.
When EZPass first came out in 1997, my father insisted it wasn't worth it to get one since we didn't go through tolls that often and other people getting them would help thin the traffic out, anyway.
Evenutally, though, in 2003(?), he caved and we got one. We now we have three (one in every car).
Currently I am not paying for mine, but I don't expect to be getting away with that for much longer now that I've found a job...
I live in Delaware so of course I have EZ-Pass. It's almost a necessity for traveling to another state, or downstate, on a regular basis.
Well in your case, it doesn't hurt that there's the high-speed EZPass lanes on Route 1. Used them a fair bit myself when I was doing regular Norfolk-Syracuse runs.
No, I don't for two main reasons:
1) I want them to get more reliable and more interoperable. (See https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=3163.msg70018#msg70018 for more details.) You should be able to get a transponder that works ANYWHERE in the U.S. and, possibly, Canada and Mexico.
2) Practicality. There are, at present, no toll roads in Tennessee. Though my travels takes me a couple of times a year into EZ-Pass territory (OH, PA) and this year in Florida (SunPass, E-Pass). I don't go into those areas enough to get a transponder.
I don't have one and likely won't until they are implemented on a much larger scale, but my Dad is thinking about getting an E-Z Pass because, since my sister is going to college in Boston, and I will likely go up north too, he is now making regular Hampton - Boston trips.
I think it's easier to just carry cash at this point in time. Though what would be the best IMO is if there was a credit card reader at the toll booth. Then instead of taking cash out of my bank account at an ATM I could just use my check card.
I don't have a Pikepass because I rarely need to use I-44 or any other toll road in OK. I had considered getting one when I lived in Springfield, MO and regularly used I-44 to visit my home in OK, but OTA wanted a credit card number to do auto-replenish and I didn't have any sort of card at the time. Since I moved back to OK, I have got a card, but now I don't need to use the toll roads much anymore.
I might be slightly more inclined to get one if Pikepass were EZ-Pass compatible, but then again I've been in the EZ-Pass zone three times in my life (two of those in Illinois), so I don't really think it would be any more practical to have one.
I have California's version called FasTrak and I find it quite useful at times when I travel around the San Francisco Bay Area. FasTrak is the only electronic toll collection system in California and all tolling facilities that have ETC have to use it (Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Area Toll Authority, 91 Express Lanes, I-15 Express Lanes, Southbay Expwy, Orange County toll roads, etc). Up here in the Bay Area, I pay no monthly maintenance fees and there is no minimum usage requirements which is nice.
As far as a national standard, it would be nice but would not be very high on the priority list out here. The closest out-of-state ETC system would be Washington State's system used on the Tacoma-Narrows Bridge and on the WA-167 express lane (I think I have the route number right) or Denver's E-470.
I have one; I can't imagine having to fumble with cash when I'm out driving the Thruway on my own. Thruway tags have no minimum usage or monthly fees for a standard tag.
I have had E-ZPass since June 2001, which was six months before my area had it as the PTC progressively rolled it out beginning in 2000.
I gots that shit.
I have a FasTrak transponder due to my regular travels to the Bay Area (to visit family and friends), which almost always necessitates driving across one of the Bay/Carquinez Strait crossings.
Quote from: myosh_tinoUp here in the Bay Area, I pay no monthly maintenance fees and there is no minimum usage requirements which is nice.
Do the SoCal-issued transponders require fees?
Quote from: TheStranger on August 06, 2010, 04:17:15 PM
I have a FasTrak transponder due to my regular travels to the Bay Area (to visit family and friends), which almost always necessitates driving across one of the Bay/Carquinez Strait crossings.
Quote from: myosh_tinoUp here in the Bay Area, I pay no monthly maintenance fees and there is no minimum usage requirements which is nice.
Do the SoCal-issued transponders require fees?
I think that varies from tolling authority to tolling authority. I do remember reading that the Southbay Expressway (CA-125) and the I-15 Express Lanes have usage minimums and/or monthly service fees.
Oregon doesn't have any -- despite the Bridge of the Gods and the Hood River Bridges ('OR 35'/'WA 35') being tolled.
And during my trans-continental trip I took a couple years back, I did the Thruway (Albany-Buffalo), Mackinac Bridge and SF-Oakland Bay Bridge, all with cash.
I noticed the Maine Turnpike mentioned MassPike's Fast Lane as well :sombrero: - didn't look too hard in NH, but I don't recall any mention.
I was surprised to see NH had Open road tolling on the blue star. The driver in front of me didn't know how to use it though - The sign said Speed Limit 65 - he went 40. :pan:
SunPass user here in Central FL. No maintenance fees or minimum requirements. They do offer discounts - some toll points are 25 cents less than cash customers pay. Plus in the Orlando area, virtually every toll point is open-road/express lanes so that makes zipping around town so much easier, and I've never encountered a traffic jam on a toll road. Wish more states had them!
Quote from: AstareGod on August 06, 2010, 09:56:14 PM
SunPass user here in Central FL. No maintenance fees or minimum requirements. They do offer discounts - some toll points are 25 cents less than cash customers pay. Plus in the Orlando area, virtually every toll point is open-road/express lanes so that makes zipping around town so much easier, and I've never encountered a traffic jam on a toll road. Wish more states had them!
No traffic jams on toll roads??? I've encountered
three traffic jams on toll roads. One on the Jane Addams (Northwest) in IL (even with open road tolling) and two on the MassPike. And overheard about the Northeast Extension in PA being jammed for an entire day! Consider yourself lucky in Florda. The MassPike was closed for a time backing up traffic for 10 miles yesterday due to a crash that required a medivac helicopter be used.
Crashes and construction can jam a toll road just as easily in any case.
Traffic!? On a toll road!? Naw... Never happens! Just look at the New Jersey Turnpike! </sarcasm>
To be fair, he/she did refer to the Orlando toll roads.
Quote from: Master son on August 06, 2010, 08:31:51 PM
I was surprised to see NH had Open road tolling on the blue star. The driver in front of me didn't know how to use it though - The sign said Speed Limit 65 - he went 40. :pan:
Yeah, those high speed E-ZPass lanes are a great improvement for the toll. We usually encounter horrible 4th of July traffic at that toll, but not anymore!
Quote from: AstareGod on August 06, 2010, 09:56:14 PM
SunPass user here in Central FL. No maintenance fees or minimum requirements. They do offer discounts - some toll points are 25 cents less than cash customers pay. Plus in the Orlando area, virtually every toll point is open-road/express lanes so that makes zipping around town so much easier, and I've never encountered a traffic jam on a toll road. Wish more states had them!
You've obviously never tried driving the 408 at rush hour!
Quote from: realjd on August 07, 2010, 02:31:33 PM
You've obviously never tried driving the 408 at rush hour!
Well actually I have hit 408 in the mornings between 7-9 AM and afternoons from 2-6 PM and haven't had a traffic jam. Now, going from SR-429 to SR-408 via the Turnpike usually backs up in the morning due to the construction in that area but I usually get off at the next exit (SR-50) and then onto 408 from there. I end up going the speed limit (55-65) all during those times. I do consider myself very lucky. The other Orlando-area toll roads do seem a lot less used than 408 does - except for 528 with its airport traffic.
I've had NYSTA E-ZPass pretty much since it first came available. They hold onto about $15 at any given time and replenish from a credit card when the balance falls below a threshold. It's been well worth it for me. NYSTA offers a discounted toll rate for E-ZPass holders, plus I buy the commuter plan to get the first 30 miles of any trip on the mainline Thruway toll free. Last year, my commute was from Exit 27 on the Thruway to Exit 5 on the Mass Pike, so by taking I-90 through Albany, I would not pay any tolls (beyond the price of the commuter plan) for those trips. This year, I'll be commuting 27 to 24, which is just under 30 miles, so I'll easily get my money's worth from the plan. We travel quite a bit throughout the northeast and down to Florida (get with the program already, Sun Pass!!) so it's helpful to bypass the cash lanes.
I read some of the threads about transponder reliability, but I've rarely had any problems in several years of pretty heavy usage, both on the Thruway and throughout E-ZPass land. When my first transponder's battery wore down, I got the "Call E-ZPass" message at a toll booth and a swap for a new tag was quickly arranged. If there were ever any other problems with the transponder being read properly, they were taken care of without my knowledge or help.
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.
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)
Since I don't use it THAT often, i dont autoreplenish - that solves my expiration date problem. ;)
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.
...what the fuck?
QuoteHOV 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...
only Xenu in his DC-9 is allowed to communicate via radio frequency.
Quote from: Troubleshooter on August 09, 2010, 11:11:43 PM
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.
Quote from: Troubleshooter on August 09, 2010, 11:11:43 PM
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!
Quote from: mightyace on August 10, 2010, 04:33:07 PM
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.
^^^
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.
Quote from: mightyace on August 10, 2010, 04:52:54 PM
^^^
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.
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.
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.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 10, 2010, 04:59:38 PM
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?
Quote from: Bickendan on August 10, 2010, 10:25:23 PM
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?
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 10, 2010, 10:27:53 PM
Quote from: Bickendan on August 10, 2010, 10:25:23 PM
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! :happy:
I have a GeauxPass from Louisiana.
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.
Quote from: Mr_Northside on August 20, 2010, 01:43:55 PM
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).
Quote from: Jim on August 08, 2010, 08:03:28 PM
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.
Quote from: Jim on August 08, 2010, 08:03:28 PM
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.
I have both a SunPass (for my Florida residence) and an E-Z Pass for my New York residence.
Quote from: citrus on August 20, 2010, 02:16:25 PMThey 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.
Quote from: citrus on August 20, 2010, 02:16:25 PM
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."
Quote from: myosh_tino on August 20, 2010, 08:21:59 PM
Quote from: citrus on August 20, 2010, 02:16:25 PM
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.
Quote from: myosh_tino on August 20, 2010, 08:21:59 PM
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.
Quote from: citrus on August 20, 2010, 08:36:59 PM
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.
You may get an e-mail from the BATA asking you to login to your FasTrak account to verify you still want to keep the account open. My dad signed up for FasTrak but hasn't used it. He got an e-mail asking if he wanted to keep the account open and if he did, either use it or login to his account. If he took no action, they were going to close the account and refund his money. AFAIK, they do not charge an "inactivity fee".
Quote from: mightyace on August 21, 2010, 12:31:22 AM
That's all well and good for now. But, what about when they "universal" transponder finally arrives?
IF the universal transponder ever arrives, I don't see a need to change that policy. If you have an account in the SF Bay Area where there are no monthly fees, and all of your toll activity is in, say, Pennsylvania, then I don't see any problem with charging you a maintenance fee.
I think the biggest roadblock to the universal transponder is getting the hundreds (or maybe thousands) of tolling agencies to agree on a single standard and the figuring out a way to pay for the conversion costs. Because of this, IMO, the universal transponder will never see the light of day.
^^^
Whether we're talking about the mythical "universal transponder" or even the largest real system (EZPass), my problem is that I live far enough away from any of these that my usage will be infrequent, and a single trip could have me using the pass in a different area.
I guess it's just more
screw the out of towner mentality. :angry:
EDIT:
To clarify, when toll roads were all cash, everyone in same vehicle class paid the same amount. (I'm sure there are a few exceptions, but I don't know of any.) It didn't matter whether you're in state, out of state, a frequent or occasional user.
Now, you can have multiple tiers:
Just for argument sake, I get the concession for the new Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati and decide to use EZPass.
It is now technologically feasible to do something like this:
Toll Chart:
| Tolling Method | Cost |
| Brent Spence Bridge Co. EZPass | $2.00 |
| Ohio Turnpike EZPass, Indiana I-Zoom | $2.50 |
| Other EZ Pass | $3.00 |
| Video Toll by Plate (registered users) | $4.00 + $3.00 for all transactions in a month |
| Video Toll by Plate (unregistered) | $5.00 + $5.00 processing charge per transaction (waived if you register) |
Whereas, 50 years ago it would be cash and one toll amount.
Now, I don't have a problem with "volume" discounts for commuters or even congestion (peak/off-peak) pricing.
But, it just strikes me as wrong to discriminate by residence when no tax money is involved.