USA Toll Transponder Interoperability - 2025 edition

[ElishaGOtis]

Probably missing a couple others as well. I do believe the HCTRA confusion has since resolved.

GUESS WHAT I GOT IN THE MAIL TODAY       

[Great Lakes Roads]

NJ is currently eyeing on the end of this year to eliminate transponders with stickers... they are currently testing the sticker technology on the authority's vehicles.

[NJRoadfan]

I thought VDOT had a single clearinghouse for E-ZPass transactions? Also, what happened to NJ in that map! I suspect the states left out don't have full sticker compatibility yet. Takes time to certify equipment. Odd that CFX in Florida is considered Northeast Hub. The way these interop deals and computer linkages sure are complicated, but not surprising.

I noticed this with tag misreads in FL. I have both a SunPass and E-ZPass account. CFX would debit the E-ZPass by LPR, while FTE went right to the SunPass. My parents weren't so lucky. FTE sent them the standard bill-by-mail invoice despite having E-ZPass.

[MASTERNC]

I thought VDOT had a single clearinghouse for E-ZPass transactions? Also, what happened to NJ in that map! I suspect the states left out don't have full sticker compatibility yet. Takes time to certify equipment. Odd that CFX in Florida is considered Northeast Hub. The way these interop deals and computer linkages sure are complicated, but not surprising.

I noticed this with tag misreads in FL. I have both a SunPass and E-ZPass account. CFX would debit the E-ZPass by LPR, while FTE went right to the SunPass. My parents weren't so lucky. FTE sent them the standard bill-by-mail invoice despite having E-ZPass.

Florida has major issues with E-ZPass.  I've had NY and NC passes read intermittently when visiting.  Thank goodness there is the Visitor Toll Pass at Orlando's airport - that worked without a hitch.

[Radem]

Florida has major issues with E-ZPass.  I've had NY and NC passes read intermittently when visiting.  Thank goodness there is the Visitor Toll Pass at Orlando's airport - that worked without a hitch.

Florida has a large number of optical license plate reads that it uses whenever there is a failed transponder read.  If your vehicle information including license plate number, make and model has not been updated properly on your EZ Pass or other electronic toll account at least 24 hours before the toll read attempt, you may get a transponder read fail and then it will not be able to match to a toll account by the license plate read and vehicle description.  If your vehicle information is updated properly and it has a clear license plate read, then it does properly charge your EZ Pass or other electronic toll account without issue at all toll locations in Florida.

[kalvado]

Florida has major issues with E-ZPass.  I've had NY and NC passes read intermittently when visiting.  Thank goodness there is the Visitor Toll Pass at Orlando's airport - that worked without a hitch.

Florida has a large number of optical license plate reads that it uses whenever there is a failed transponder read.  If your vehicle information including license plate number, make and model has not been updated properly on your EZ Pass or other electronic toll account at least 24 hours before the toll read attempt, you may get a transponder read fail and then it will not be able to match to a toll account by the license plate read and vehicle description.  If your vehicle information is updated properly and it has a clear license plate read, then it does properly charge your EZ Pass or other electronic toll account without issue at all toll locations in Florida.

Rentals enter the conversation. Driving to Miami would be a major trip for me, but flying to MIA,  renting a car, and bringing my NY EZpass to use with rental is a pretty attractive option.   

[1995hoo]

Rentals enter the conversation. Driving to Miami would be a major trip for me, but flying to MIA,  renting a car, and bringing my NY EZpass to use with rental is a pretty attractive option.   

On a past trip to the Miami area, I brought our E-ZPass and held it up when needed. It worked at some facilities (Alligator Alley) but not at others (Gratigny Parkway) and Hertz charged me for tolls on at least one day. On our current trip, I again have an E-ZPass with me, this time with a suction-cup mount I got from Amazon, but we haven't used any toll roads yet and we may be able to avoid them completely unless we use the I-595 express lanes to go to the airport when we leave, so I don't know whether the compatibility has improved. (On our way down to Broward County from Venice, we took a county road from Punta Gorda to Palmdale, then US-27 south. So no tolls.)

[Radem]

Rentals enter the conversation. Driving to Miami would be a major trip for me, but flying to MIA,  renting a car, and bringing my NY EZpass to use with rental is a pretty attractive option.   

On a past trip to the Miami area, I brought our E-ZPass and held it up when needed. It worked at some facilities (Alligator Alley) but not at others (Gratigny Parkway) and Hertz charged me for tolls on at least one day. On our current trip, I again have an E-ZPass with me, this time with a suction-cup mount I got from Amazon, but we haven't used any toll roads yet and we may be able to avoid them completely unless we use the I-595 express lanes to go to the airport when we leave, so I don't know whether the compatibility has improved. (On our way down to Broward County from Venice, we took a county road from Punta Gorda to Palmdale, then US-27 south. So no tolls.)

With the multiple different Florida toll agencies, you get quite a variation in electronic toll reader maintenance.  Some Florida toll agencies fix problematic toll readers quickly.  Others take months or longer and just let the automated optical plate readers do the work when the electronic toll reader fails.  Optical plate readers require that you have your vehicle license plate, make, model and color all updated on your toll account to be used as the automated system uses all that information to figure out if the vehicle has an existing toll account or if toll by mail with an extra surcharge needs to be used.  This information is typically transferred between all interoperable toll agencies throughout the EZ Pass system overnight once each day.

Because of the large number of optical reads on Florida toll roads after failed electronic reads, rental cars do not always work well with your own transponder unless you wait 24 hours after adding the rental car info to your toll account before going through any tolls.

[kalvado]

Rentals enter the conversation. Driving to Miami would be a major trip for me, but flying to MIA,  renting a car, and bringing my NY EZpass to use with rental is a pretty attractive option.   

On a past trip to the Miami area, I brought our E-ZPass and held it up when needed. It worked at some facilities (Alligator Alley) but not at others (Gratigny Parkway) and Hertz charged me for tolls on at least one day. On our current trip, I again have an E-ZPass with me, this time with a suction-cup mount I got from Amazon, but we haven't used any toll roads yet and we may be able to avoid them completely unless we use the I-595 express lanes to go to the airport when we leave, so I don't know whether the compatibility has improved. (On our way down to Broward County from Venice, we took a county road from Punta Gorda to Palmdale, then US-27 south. So no tolls.)

With the multiple different Florida toll agencies, you get quite a variation in electronic toll reader maintenance.  Some Florida toll agencies fix problematic toll readers quickly.  Others take months or longer and just let the automated optical plate readers do the work when the electronic toll reader fails.  Optical plate readers require that you have your vehicle license plate, make, model and color all updated on your toll account to be used as the automated system uses all that information to figure out if the vehicle has an existing toll account or if toll by mail with an extra surcharge needs to be used.  This information is typically transferred between all interoperable toll agencies throughout the EZ Pass system overnight once each day.

Because of the large number of optical reads on Florida toll roads after failed electronic reads, rental cars do not always work well with your own transponder unless you wait 24 hours after adding the rental car info to your toll account before going through any tolls.

Shouldn't toll agency have that license plate in their FL accounts, so  remote agency listing same plate wouldn't be reached or result in data uncertainty?

[1995hoo]

With a rental, I wouldn't add it to my E-ZPass account anyway. I did that when I had a SunPass because they let you specify precise dates and times when you were picking up and returning the car. Virginia, at least, doesn't provide that option for E-ZPass, so you risk getting hit for someone else's tolls depending on when charges post.

[doorknob60]

I've had 100% success rate so far using my E-Pass Uni (from Central Florida Expressway) in rental cars all across the eastern US. It's the suction cup one, not a sticker, so easy to move around. I always do add the rental's plate to my account while I'm using it, just in case. I remove the rental's plate once I drop the car off. Just takes a minute or two with the app to add it and remove it. They don't let you specify dates/times like you said Sunpass does, but it's worked for me to just change as soon as I pick up and drop off. Never once received an unexpected toll bill from Enterprise while doing that. One time I got an extra $2 charge in the Orlando area when I wasn't driving, only because I forgot to change the license plate after dropping the car off (so it was working as designed).

Only two things have been slightly weird:

1. On two separate occasions (a year or so apart), I've gone through one of the tolled tunnels in the Norfolk, VA area, and never got a charge on my personal pass, or from the rental agency. Should have been charged $2-3 or so each time, but I've gotten free trips, only there.

2. At one of the NJTP toll booths, the little screen when I drove through said something about a bad EZ-Pass, or no funds, something like that (don't remember what it actually said). But a day or two later, the toll posted to my account as expected, so no actual problem in the end.

[Rothman]

With a rental, I wouldn't add it to my E-ZPass account anyway. I did that when I had a SunPass because they let you specify precise dates and times when you were picking up and returning the car. Virginia, at least, doesn't provide that option for E-ZPass, so you risk getting hit for someone else's tolls depending on when charges post.

I'd more than half expect the charges to just go through whether or not you formally add the vehicle to your account, anyway.

[Brandon]

With a rental, I wouldn't add it to my E-ZPass account anyway. I did that when I had a SunPass because they let you specify precise dates and times when you were picking up and returning the car. Virginia, at least, doesn't provide that option for E-ZPass, so you risk getting hit for someone else's tolls depending on when charges post.

It's not like the ability doesn't exist for EZ Pass to do that as I can select rental car times and dates for my I-Pass.

[1995hoo]

With a rental, I wouldn't add it to my E-ZPass account anyway. I did that when I had a SunPass because they let you specify precise dates and times when you were picking up and returning the car. Virginia, at least, doesn't provide that option for E-ZPass, so you risk getting hit for someone else's tolls depending on when charges post.

It's not like the ability doesn't exist for EZ Pass to do that as I can select rental car times and dates for my I-Pass.

I'm sure the capability exists, but they haven't programmed it. Ultimately we didn't pay any tolls on this trip, so it didn't matter. Returned the rental this morning and we're waiting to fly home. I never even took the E-ZPass out of my bag. Call me paranoid, but I didn't want to get it out if I didn't need to use it for fear I'd forget it in the car (I did set a reminder on my phone, but then we got to the airport before the reminder was due).

[interstatefan990]

Speaking of FL, since the Sunshine Skyway bridge is now cashless, I wonder how all the tourists renting a car are going to pay the tolls without those ridiculous processing fees charged by the rental car companies. Not everyone has an EZ-Pass or other valid out of state toll tag to take with them on their trip, so toll-by-plate is their only option?

[kalvado]

Speaking of FL, since the Sunshine Skyway bridge is now cashless, I wonder how all the tourists renting a car are going to pay the tolls without those ridiculous processing fees charged by the rental car companies. Not everyone has an EZ-Pass or other valid out of state toll tag to take with them on their trip, so toll-by-plate is their only option?

They don't vote there, so nobody cares. Maybe adding an out-of-state surcharges would help?

[Brandon]

Speaking of FL, since the Sunshine Skyway bridge is now cashless, I wonder how all the tourists renting a car are going to pay the tolls without those ridiculous processing fees charged by the rental car companies. Not everyone has an EZ-Pass or other valid out of state toll tag to take with them on their trip, so toll-by-plate is their only option?

Florida usually offers SunPass Minis at rest area welcome centers in vending machines.  They might do so in airports as well.

[interstatefan990]

Speaking of FL, since the Sunshine Skyway bridge is now cashless, I wonder how all the tourists renting a car are going to pay the tolls without those ridiculous processing fees charged by the rental car companies. Not everyone has an EZ-Pass or other valid out of state toll tag to take with them on their trip, so toll-by-plate is their only option?

Florida usually offers SunPass Minis at rest area welcome centers in vending machines.  They might do so in airports as well.

True, but that's $5 for the sticker and then a $10 minimum balance to activate it, so one would be paying $15 to drive over a $1.50 toll bridge. It doesn't make sense, especially for people who are flying into the area, continuing on the road, and perhaps only going over the bridge once or twice.

[ElishaGOtis]

Speaking of FL, since the Sunshine Skyway bridge is now cashless, I wonder how all the tourists renting a car are going to pay the tolls without those ridiculous processing fees charged by the rental car companies. Not everyone has an EZ-Pass or other valid out of state toll tag to take with them on their trip, so toll-by-plate is their only option?

Florida usually offers SunPass Minis at rest area welcome centers in vending machines.  They might do so in airports as well.

True, but that's $5 for the sticker and then a $10 minimum balance to activate it, so one would be paying $15 to drive over a $1.50 toll bridge. It doesn't make sense, especially for people who are flying into the area, continuing on the road, and perhaps only going over the bridge once or twice.

There is the program that CFX uses called the visitor toll pass but that's only MCO / Orlando Airport.