Transponder Discrimination

[dgolub]

So, I'm thinking of getting an E-ZPass to pay for tolls on the upcoming Buffalo meet and whatever else comes up in the future.  What are the ups and downs of getting it from the MTA vs. the Thruway Authority vs. the Port Authority?

[froggie]

PANYNJ has a monthly $1 fee, so I wouldn't suggest them.

There are a number of commuter/resident plans that may or may not be useful to you.  They are posted here.

[Rothman]

Wikipedia has a pretty good breakdown of the comparison.

[Duke87]

What are the ups and downs of getting it from the MTA vs. the Thruway Authority vs. the Port Authority?

You don't really have this as a choice. New York has centralized their issuing of EZpasses - it's the same application for each agency and which tag you get depends on the address you sign up with. If you use your New York City address you will get an MTA tag. Anywhere upstate will get a NYSTA tag. Anywhere out of state will get a PANYNJ tag and get stuck with the monthly fee, because haha if you don't live here you don't vote here so we can hose you.

That said, there is no functional difference between a Thruway tag and an MTA tag. MTA gives discounts to any NY issued tag, including Thruway and Port Authority. The Thruway gives discounts to all EZpass holders and is not engaged in any transponder discrimination. Port Authority crossings, likewise, you get the standard discount and access to all general discount plans with an MTA or Thruway tag the same as with a Port Authority tag, except minus the monthly fee.

If you live out of state and want a discount on MTA crossings but do not want to pay a monthly fee, you can buy an EZpass tag in person at any number of places (including the cash lanes at MTA crossings) and then activate it later. This circumvents the address-based discrimination since you get whatever type of tag they have on hand.

[MASTERNC]

There is a way to circumvent this (I did this a few years back and have never been charged a fee):

1.  When you're in the Buffalo area, buy a tag from a retailer (Wegmans sells them at customer service)
2.  Register the tag using any address in NY state (I used my grandfather's).  Even though my credit card billing address was not the same, it worked.
3.  Wait 24 hours, and then change the address to your own.

[jeffandnicole]

What are the ups and downs of getting it from the MTA vs. the Thruway Authority vs. the Port Authority?

You don't really have this as a choice. New York has centralized their issuing of EZpasses - it's the same application for each agency and which tag you get depends on the address you sign up with. If you use your New York City address you will get an MTA tag. Anywhere upstate will get a NYSTA tag. Anywhere out of state will get a PANYNJ tag and get stuck with the monthly fee, because haha if you don't live here you don't vote here so we can hose you.

That said, there is no functional difference between a Thruway tag and an MTA tag. MTA gives discounts to any NY issued tag, including Thruway and Port Authority. The Thruway gives discounts to all EZpass holders and is not engaged in any transponder discrimination. Port Authority crossings, likewise, you get the standard discount and access to all general discount plans with an MTA or Thruway tag the same as with a Port Authority tag, except minus the monthly fee.

If you live out of state and want a discount on MTA crossings but do not want to pay a monthly fee, you can buy an EZpass tag in person at any number of places (including the cash lanes at MTA crossings) and then activate it later. This circumvents the address-based discrimination since you get whatever type of tag they have on hand.

You can also apply for and get a tag from any other state's agency.  You may not get state or agency specific discounts, but you can probably avoid the monthly fee or tag fees.

BTW, in that Wiki article, the NJ EZ Pass is slightly incorrect. There's a $1/fee per month, but there isn't an additional $1/bimonthly fee for the statements.  (Or maybe this option is there if you want a statement each month, rather than just getting it once every 2 months).