USA Toll Transponder Interoperability - 2025 edition

[fwydriver405]

Just saw a short video from the Maine Turnpike, and they are now issuing E-ZPass "sticker tags"!

The aforementioned video:

Wonder if the Maine Turnpike will continue to sell the hardcase tag ($10.55) and/or the license plate tags ($17.94) with the introduction of the sticker transponder, especially with people who hold multiple transponders for multiple agencies since the stickers cannot be removed once applied w/o destroying it.

I know some people (including myself) also hold NHDOT E-ZPass transponders in addition to MeTA ones, as those of us who live near the border on the seacoast drive on NHDOT and MeTA toll roads frequently. Having both transponders is needed in order to get the lowest rate possible, as in both states, out of state E-ZPass transponders are charged the Cash or Tolls By Mail rate. It does mean having to switch them out before going on such agencies toll facility, lest get double charged or charged incorrectly.

Which begs me to question: other than Illinois, are there any other states within the E-ZPass hub that are now issuing sticker tags?

Side question, in states where they issue sticker tags, is the cost of the tag free or does the customer have to pay a nominal fee to obtain such transponder? I know some places will give it to you for free, while others charge like $0.50-ish per new transponder.

[vdeane]

They indeed do, though I considered them as part of the Southeast hub (and their stickers pre-date their joining the E-ZPass network). None of the other traditional E-ZPass states have moved to stickers AFAIK.

Is the Southeast hub even still a thing, beyond Florida making outside deals?  I think it got fully absorbed.

[ElishaGOtis]

They indeed do, though I considered them as part of the Southeast hub (and their stickers pre-date their joining the E-ZPass network). None of the other traditional E-ZPass states have moved to stickers AFAIK.

Is the Southeast hub even still a thing, beyond Florida making outside deals?  I think it got fully absorbed.

IMHO it's a thing of the past now... ever since GA and NC made their stickers universal, the only thing that really defines it are where E-Pass, SunPass, and LeeWay stickers can be used. Currently, none of the other SE hub states made any other external agreements. SC get on the bandwagon plz...

[Molandfreak]

They indeed do, though I considered them as part of the Southeast hub (and their stickers pre-date their joining the E-ZPass network). None of the other traditional E-ZPass states have moved to stickers AFAIK.

Is the Southeast hub even still a thing, beyond Florida making outside deals?  I think it got fully absorbed.

IMHO it's a thing of the past now... ever since GA and NC made their stickers universal, the only thing that really defines it are where E-Pass, SunPass, and LeeWay stickers can be used. Currently, none of the other SE hub states made any other external agreements. SC get on the bandwagon plz...

It would be hilarious if the Palmetto Pass suddenly entered into more interoperability agreements than SunPass. That might be the only way to keep the southern connector viable as a toll road in the long-term.

[vdeane]

They indeed do, though I considered them as part of the Southeast hub (and their stickers pre-date their joining the E-ZPass network). None of the other traditional E-ZPass states have moved to stickers AFAIK.

Is the Southeast hub even still a thing, beyond Florida making outside deals?  I think it got fully absorbed.

IMHO it's a thing of the past now... ever since GA and NC made their stickers universal, the only thing that really defines it are where E-Pass, SunPass, and LeeWay stickers can be used. Currently, none of the other SE hub states made any other external agreements. SC get on the bandwagon plz...

Given that Illinois and Maine now issue stickers, I find it weird that the Florida stickers can't be used in regular E-ZPass states.  Is there website just out of date, or do they really not work?

They indeed do, though I considered them as part of the Southeast hub (and their stickers pre-date their joining the E-ZPass network). None of the other traditional E-ZPass states have moved to stickers AFAIK.

Is the Southeast hub even still a thing, beyond Florida making outside deals?  I think it got fully absorbed.

IMHO it's a thing of the past now... ever since GA and NC made their stickers universal, the only thing that really defines it are where E-Pass, SunPass, and LeeWay stickers can be used. Currently, none of the other SE hub states made any other external agreements. SC get on the bandwagon plz...

It would be hilarious if the Palmetto Pass suddenly entered into more interoperability agreements than SunPass. That might be the only way to keep the southern connector viable as a toll road in the long-term.

Aren't the bonds supposed to be paid off in the next decade or something?  Given the way things went when the bonds for the bridge that used Palmetto Pass were paid off, I wonder if Palmetto Pass is even going to stick around long-term.  Supposedly the bridge and the Southern Connector weren't even fully interoperable with each other (being somewhat similar to what Atlantic Canada had), which caused problems when the bridge became free and a bunch of people had to cancel their accounts and get new accounts.

But that now leads me to an interesting thought: perhaps SC should join E-ZPass and build I-73 as a toll road.

[I-55]

They indeed do, though I considered them as part of the Southeast hub (and their stickers pre-date their joining the E-ZPass network). None of the other traditional E-ZPass states have moved to stickers AFAIK.

Is the Southeast hub even still a thing, beyond Florida making outside deals?  I think it got fully absorbed.

IMHO it's a thing of the past now... ever since GA and NC made their stickers universal, the only thing that really defines it are where E-Pass, SunPass, and LeeWay stickers can be used. Currently, none of the other SE hub states made any other external agreements. SC get on the bandwagon plz...

Given that Illinois and Maine now issue stickers, I find it weird that the Florida stickers can't be used in regular E-ZPass states.  Is there website just out of date, or do they really not work?

I would say their website is out of date, as the copyright date is 2021 at the bottom of the webpage with the map. I used to have SunPass mini and it worked on the Ohio River Bridges and the WV Turnpike with 100% success rate. I switched to I-Pass for better customer service and the app (4.4 stars). The SunPass app (2.2 stars) problems and their website obsoletion are probably related issues.

They indeed do, though I considered them as part of the Southeast hub (and their stickers pre-date their joining the E-ZPass network). None of the other traditional E-ZPass states have moved to stickers AFAIK.

Is the Southeast hub even still a thing, beyond Florida making outside deals?  I think it got fully absorbed.

IMHO it's a thing of the past now... ever since GA and NC made their stickers universal, the only thing that really defines it are where E-Pass, SunPass, and LeeWay stickers can be used. Currently, none of the other SE hub states made any other external agreements. SC get on the bandwagon plz...

It would be hilarious if the Palmetto Pass suddenly entered into more interoperability agreements than SunPass. That might be the only way to keep the southern connector viable as a toll road in the long-term.

Aren't the bonds supposed to be paid off in the next decade or something?  Given the way things went when the bonds for the bridge that used Palmetto Pass were paid off, I wonder if Palmetto Pass is even going to stick around long-term.  Supposedly the bridge and the Southern Connector weren't even fully interoperable with each other (being somewhat similar to what Atlantic Canada had), which caused problems when the bridge became free and a bunch of people had to cancel their accounts and get new accounts.

But that now leads me to an interesting thought: perhaps SC should join E-ZPass and build I-73 as a toll road.

Going to briefly dabble in fictional territory:

I would say that if the southern connector were to ever be useful/successful it would need the following:

• All Open Road Tolling with E-ZPass compatibility to encourage non-local use
• A more direct connection to I-85 between MP 36-37, which would create a far more useful alternate route for I-85 (call it I-285 or I-685) and increase the effectiveness of the connection to I-385
• Posted speed limit of 70 mph to shorten travel times and encourage use over I-85

SC is definitely losing money due to the lack of intercompatibility, as just under 50% of transactions utilize Palmetto Pass, despite the difference in toll rate being only about 5%.

I-73's timeline could be accelerated if tolls were used for funding, as SCDOT has far higher priorities (I-26, I-95) currently requiring their attention.

[ElishaGOtis]

Seems like a good Kalshi bet (I've said this before haven't I)... which will be the next toll bridge in E-ZPass territory that does not accept E-ZPass currently to accept E-ZPass?

[SSOWorld]

Just saw a short video from the Maine Turnpike, and they are now issuing E-ZPass "sticker tags"!

The aforementioned video:

Wonder if the Maine Turnpike will continue to sell the hardcase tag ($10.55) and/or the license plate tags ($17.94) with the introduction of the sticker transponder, especially with people who hold multiple transponders for multiple agencies since the stickers cannot be removed once applied w/o destroying it.

I know some people (including myself) also hold NHDOT E-ZPass transponders in addition to MeTA ones, as those of us who live near the border on the seacoast drive on NHDOT and MeTA toll roads frequently. Having both transponders is needed in order to get the lowest rate possible, as in both states, out of state E-ZPass transponders are charged the Cash or Tolls By Mail rate. It does mean having to switch them out before going on such agencies toll facility, lest get double charged or charged incorrectly.

Which begs me to question: other than Illinois, are there any other states within the E-ZPass hub that are now issuing sticker tags?

Side question, in states where they issue sticker tags, is the cost of the tag free or does the customer have to pay a nominal fee to obtain such transponder? I know some places will give it to you for free, while others charge like $0.50-ish per new transponder.

Nothing in Maine Turnpike Authority's site verifies this sticker thing.

[ElishaGOtis]

https://www.leegov.com/tolls/News%20Documents/LeeWay%20announces%20updates%20about%20out-of-county%20and%20out-of-state%20transponder%20use.pdf

Kinds old news, but LeeWay no longer works in GA. Not all that often a transponder LOSES interoperability   

[Sani]

What did Georgia change that broke the interoperability with LeeWay transponders?

[kphoger]

https://www.leegov.com/tolls/News%20Documents/LeeWay%20announces%20updates%20about%20out-of-county%20and%20out-of-state%20transponder%20use.pdf

Kinds old news, but LeeWay no longer works in GA. Not all that often a transponder LOSES interoperability   

The bad news:  your pass no longer works in the nearest bordering state.

The good news:  your pass now works in new areas 1000+ miles away.

[I-55]

I find it interesting that LeeWay did not list any of the traditional E-ZPass states in the document despite the Maine Turnpike posting signs with LeeWay as an accepted payment. Someone has it wrong and I'm guessing it's not the home agency.

UPDATE 2 (15 August 2025): Here is a clearer image of the aforementioned sign, taken 18 July 2025:

[hwyfan]

They indeed do, though I considered them as part of the Southeast hub (and their stickers pre-date their joining the E-ZPass network). None of the other traditional E-ZPass states have moved to stickers AFAIK.

Is the Southeast hub even still a thing, beyond Florida making outside deals?  I think it got fully absorbed.

IMHO it's a thing of the past now... ever since GA and NC made their stickers universal, the only thing that really defines it are where E-Pass, SunPass, and LeeWay stickers can be used. Currently, none of the other SE hub states made any other external agreements. SC get on the bandwagon plz...

Given that Illinois and Maine now issue stickers, I find it weird that the Florida stickers can't be used in regular E-ZPass states.  Is there website just out of date, or do they really not work?

They indeed do, though I considered them as part of the Southeast hub (and their stickers pre-date their joining the E-ZPass network). None of the other traditional E-ZPass states have moved to stickers AFAIK.

Is the Southeast hub even still a thing, beyond Florida making outside deals?  I think it got fully absorbed.

IMHO it's a thing of the past now... ever since GA and NC made their stickers universal, the only thing that really defines it are where E-Pass, SunPass, and LeeWay stickers can be used. Currently, none of the other SE hub states made any other external agreements. SC get on the bandwagon plz...

It would be hilarious if the Palmetto Pass suddenly entered into more interoperability agreements than SunPass. That might be the only way to keep the southern connector viable as a toll road in the long-term.

Aren't the bonds supposed to be paid off in the next decade or something?  Given the way things went when the bonds for the bridge that used Palmetto Pass were paid off, I wonder if Palmetto Pass is even going to stick around long-term.  Supposedly the bridge and the Southern Connector weren't even fully interoperable with each other (being somewhat similar to what Atlantic Canada had), which caused problems when the bridge became free and a bunch of people had to cancel their accounts and get new accounts.

But that now leads me to an interesting thought: perhaps SC should join E-ZPass and build I-73 as a toll road.

Palmetto Pass was developed by SCDOT as part of the Cross Island Parkway toll road project at Hilton Head.  Since tolls were removed at that facility, the Palmetto Pass has been handed to the Connector 2000 Association which operates the Southern Connector. 

There was talk around 2014 of the Palmetto Pass being integrated into the Southeastern tolling hub by 2016, but from what I gleaned in subsequent conversations, South Carolina wanted Florida to take the lead on it with no cost imposed upon them.  That interoperability never came to pass.

The only interoperability which Palmetto Pass has achieved is with truck tolling via BestPass and Prepass.   

They also bought unused automatic toll payment stations from Kane County, Illinois (which had bought them intending to use them on their Longmeadow Parkway bridge).  These refurbished ATPS are now positioned on some ramps of the Southern Connector toll road. 

[hwyfan]

Just saw a short video from the Maine Turnpike, and they are now issuing E-ZPass "sticker tags"!

The aforementioned video:

Wonder if the Maine Turnpike will continue to sell the hardcase tag ($10.55) and/or the license plate tags ($17.94) with the introduction of the sticker transponder, especially with people who hold multiple transponders for multiple agencies since the stickers cannot be removed once applied w/o destroying it.

The sticker transponders can be removed from windshields provided you attach their backing to a plastic laminate sheet like StickerShield.  You affix the opposite adhesive side of the StickerShield to the interior windshield.  It can be carefully lifted off without bending the transponder.

I have my Palmetto Pass, KTag, Quickpass and GoodtoGo Pass all on StickerShield. 

[Revive 755]

They also bought unused automatic toll payment stations from McHenry County, Illinois (which had bought them intending to use them on their Longmeadow Parkway bridge).  These refurbished ATPS are now positioned on some ramps of the Southern Connector toll road. 

Longmeadow Parkway is in Kane County, Illinois.

[hwyfan]

SC is definitely losing money due to the lack of intercompatibility, as just under 50% of transactions utilize Palmetto Pass, despite the difference in toll rate being only about 5%.

Locals in Greenville/Simpsonvile don't even tend to use the Southern Connector.  I have friends who live very near it and in twenty years, they have been on it once, just to humor me.   

The Southern Connector has big ticket maintenance issues looming, such as rehabilitation of the road surface.  The 2024 annual condition report of the Southern Connector found that the pavement condition rating (pcr) for the entire roadway was "very poor".   

On the other hand, the bridges along the Southern Connector all rate no lower than "satisfactory" according to their National Bridge Inventory evaluations. 

[SSOWorld]

Just saw a short video from the Maine Turnpike, and they are now issuing E-ZPass "sticker tags"!

The aforementioned video:

Wonder if the Maine Turnpike will continue to sell the hardcase tag ($10.55) and/or the license plate tags ($17.94) with the introduction of the sticker transponder, especially with people who hold multiple transponders for multiple agencies since the stickers cannot be removed once applied w/o destroying it.

The sticker transponders can be removed from windshields provided you attach their backing to a plastic laminate sheet like StickerShield.  You affix the opposite adhesive side of the StickerShield to the interior windshield.  It can be carefully lifted off without bending the transponder.

I have my Palmetto Pass, KTag, Quickpass and GoodtoGo Pass all on StickerShield. 

There's nothing on official sites about the alleged Maine stickers

[ran4sh]

If you need to take off a sticker transponder for transponder discrimination reasons, you can simply obtain a new one and apply it when you need that sticker back

[ran4sh]

Just saw a short video from the Maine Turnpike, and they are now issuing E-ZPass "sticker tags"!

The aforementioned video:

Wonder if the Maine Turnpike will continue to sell the hardcase tag ($10.55) and/or the license plate tags ($17.94) with the introduction of the sticker transponder, especially with people who hold multiple transponders for multiple agencies since the stickers cannot be removed once applied w/o destroying it.

I know some people (including myself) also hold NHDOT E-ZPass transponders in addition to MeTA ones, as those of us who live near the border on the seacoast drive on NHDOT and MeTA toll roads frequently. Having both transponders is needed in order to get the lowest rate possible, as in both states, out of state E-ZPass transponders are charged the Cash or Tolls By Mail rate. It does mean having to switch them out before going on such agencies toll facility, lest get double charged or charged incorrectly.

Which begs me to question: other than Illinois, are there any other states within the E-ZPass hub that are now issuing sticker tags?

Side question, in states where they issue sticker tags, is the cost of the tag free or does the customer have to pay a nominal fee to obtain such transponder? I know some places will give it to you for free, while others charge like $0.50-ish per new transponder.

I've never heard of paying for a sticker transponder, I could be wrong though. Sticker transponders are free in Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, etc.

[ran4sh]

They indeed do, though I considered them as part of the Southeast hub (and their stickers pre-date their joining the E-ZPass network). None of the other traditional E-ZPass states have moved to stickers AFAIK.

Is the Southeast hub even still a thing, beyond Florida making outside deals?  I think it got fully absorbed.

IMHO it's a thing of the past now... ever since GA and NC made their stickers universal, the only thing that really defines it are where E-Pass, SunPass, and LeeWay stickers can be used. Currently, none of the other SE hub states made any other external agreements. SC get on the bandwagon plz...

Not really necessary because no one really uses Toll I-185 in SC

[NJRoadfan]

Palmetto Pass was developed by SCDOT as part of the Cross Island Parkway toll road project at Hilton Head.  Since tolls were removed at that facility, the Palmetto Pass has been handed to the Connector 2000 Association which operates the Southern Connector. 

There was talk around 2014 of the Palmetto Pass being integrated into the Southeastern tolling hub by 2016, but from what I gleaned in subsequent conversations, South Carolina wanted Florida to take the lead on it with no cost imposed upon them.  That interoperability never came to pass.

Whats ironic is that the original hard case tags the Cross Island Parkway issued were the same as issued by E-ZPass agencies and used the same protocol and readers. The Southern Connector went right to (6B?) stickers and didn't accept the hard case transponders. The Cross Island plaza later got multi-protocol readers to deal with both tag types.

Basically, SC could have joined E-ZPass IAG when they started tolling roads, but decided not to despite initially choosing compatible equipment.

[fwydriver405]

Just saw a short video from the Maine Turnpike, and they are now issuing E-ZPass "sticker tags"!

The aforementioned video:

Wonder if the Maine Turnpike will continue to sell the hardcase tag ($10.55) and/or the license plate tags ($17.94) with the introduction of the sticker transponder, especially with people who hold multiple transponders for multiple agencies since the stickers cannot be removed once applied w/o destroying it.

The sticker transponders can be removed from windshields provided you attach their backing to a plastic laminate sheet like StickerShield.  You affix the opposite adhesive side of the StickerShield to the interior windshield.  It can be carefully lifted off without bending the transponder.

I have my Palmetto Pass, KTag, Quickpass and GoodtoGo Pass all on StickerShield. 

There's nothing on official sites about the alleged Maine stickers

I put an inquiry to the Maine Turnpike about these stickers a while back but haven't heard a response yet. My guess is that either they posted the video too early, they posted it early to educate the public about the new transponders, or something else entirely.

There's also no information on the Maine Turnpike sites about what transponders are accepted too so there's that as well.

[fwydriver405]

Just saw a short video from the Maine Turnpike, and they are now issuing E-ZPass "sticker tags"!

The aforementioned video:

Wonder if the Maine Turnpike will continue to sell the hardcase tag ($10.55) and/or the license plate tags ($17.94) with the introduction of the sticker transponder, especially with people who hold multiple transponders for multiple agencies since the stickers cannot be removed once applied w/o destroying it.

I know some people (including myself) also hold NHDOT E-ZPass transponders in addition to MeTA ones, as those of us who live near the border on the seacoast drive on NHDOT and MeTA toll roads frequently. Having both transponders is needed in order to get the lowest rate possible, as in both states, out of state E-ZPass transponders are charged the Cash or Tolls By Mail rate. It does mean having to switch them out before going on such agencies toll facility, lest get double charged or charged incorrectly.

Which begs me to question: other than Illinois, are there any other states within the E-ZPass hub that are now issuing sticker tags?

Side question, in states where they issue sticker tags, is the cost of the tag free or does the customer have to pay a nominal fee to obtain such transponder? I know some places will give it to you for free, while others charge like $0.50-ish per new transponder.

I've never heard of paying for a sticker transponder, I could be wrong though. Sticker transponders are free in Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, etc.

SunPass Mini sticker transponders costs $4.99 + tax.

https://www.sunpass.com/en/about/aboutsunpass.shtml

[hwyfan]

Palmetto Pass was developed by SCDOT as part of the Cross Island Parkway toll road project at Hilton Head.  Since tolls were removed at that facility, the Palmetto Pass has been handed to the Connector 2000 Association which operates the Southern Connector. 

There was talk around 2014 of the Palmetto Pass being integrated into the Southeastern tolling hub by 2016, but from what I gleaned in subsequent conversations, South Carolina wanted Florida to take the lead on it with no cost imposed upon them.  That interoperability never came to pass.

Whats ironic is that the original hard case tags the Cross Island Parkway issued were the same as issued by E-ZPass agencies and used the same protocol and readers. The Southern Connector went right to (6B?) stickers and didn't accept the hard case transponders. The Cross Island plaza later got multi-protocol readers to deal with both tag types.

Basically, SC could have joined E-ZPass IAG when they started tolling roads, but decided not to despite initially choosing compatible equipment.

The Cross Island Parkway website in 2010 bore a similarlity to the website of E-ZPass New Jersey around the same time.  They may have shared the same back office processing company. 

There was some talk about Palmetto Pass being linked up with SunPass and the southeast hub by 2016. However, nothing came of it, perhaps as the Cross Island Parkway was nearing the ability to complete its bond repayment and thus  proceed with removal of tolls from its facility. 

In September 2023, the Southern Connector had a toll rate study conducted.  On page 8 of the study, the following was said concerning interoperability for Palmetto Pass.

The Southern Connector is not currently
interoperable with transponders from nearby states such as North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. While it is a long-term goal for the Southern Connector, no timeline for implementation is in place.

[Molandfreak]

If you need to take off a sticker transponder for transponder discrimination reasons, you can simply obtain a new one and apply it when you need that sticker back

Gee, I can't think of anything I'd rather do with my time than sit around peeling off/replacing a bunch of windshield stickers.