EZ Pass, Sun Pass, This Pass, That Pass

I'm finally gonna buckle down and get a transponder .... Meanwhile the choices and potions and combos a confusing as can be.

Anybody understand these things?

My major use would be FL/GA/MA/NY/ME/NJ, etc.

Is one solution down and out the best?

Well, I can only speak for my own driving pattern, which is mostly NY, NJ, and PA and CT these days. I don't know how I ever ived without EZ Pass, which is universally good in these states.

If you go EZ pass, one tip: NY and NJ each have thier own EZ Pass administrations. The one in NY is much better at resolving problems or even on simple inquiries (for one thing, an actual person answers the phone when you call), so my recommendation would be to sign up via the NY Operation. The pass is of course good in both states, it's just a matter of which state you sign up with.

As is typical of New Jersey state offices, their EZ Pass administration office seems to be loaded with politician's brothers/sisters-in-laws etc who are simply on the payroll and not really there to help anyone....

Here's  a link to NY. ( I assume you can sign up with them if you live in MA. I did it from NJ no problem).

http://www.e-zpassny.com/en/home/index.shtml

I had an EZ Pass through Maryland for several years, but dropped it last July when they instituted an $18/year fee ($1.50 a month). 
 
I signed up for the Massachusettes transponder and did it all online and had it within a week.
 
There are no fees or deposits, and when it gets low, they charge the credit card to bring it up to $20.  It's good anywhere in the EZ Pass system and I've used it in MD, VA, and PA.
 
I'd go with your home state's transponder.
 
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Highway/fastlane/main.aspx
 

I've had my EZ Pass about 5 years now, and I love it. It is good from PA to AC, and from PA to ND in Indiana. I love it especially at PA's Eastgate exchange, where traffic can back up for 15 minutes, but the EZ Pass lets me breeze right past the gate completely.

I guess there is something to be said for living in the boonies after all.

We've had our EZ Pass for 11+ years, out of VA. Our HMO Drs are all in Va around DC. It comes in very handy. When I travel to Cincy it is good. When we went to Buffalo last fall it was good.

In SoCal they have "Fast-Trak" the sensor device for use on the few toll roads, mainly in the Orange County area. As a non-subscriber, I often wondered how effective the program was, as it did not permit the use of cash at all on the '91' freeway...the main artery of the system. If the purpose was to gain revenue , especially from the Disney-tourists who make up a considerable amount of the traffic at given times, then using a prior-subscription service would seem to be self-defeating. 

I did like watching the toll amounts posted on electronic signs on the 'seperate roadway' change at the times when 'commuting charges' were doubled to nail the rush-hour drivers.

I also found it interesting that the McDonalds and Burger Kings in the vicinity of the tollways soon got into the act with automated scanners to allow the drive-thru customers to charge their Burger-food to their tollway account!

Even though we live in Wisconsin we do a fair amount of driving in Illinois so we signed up for the I-Pass (which IIRC is valid only in IL) system about 4 years ago, when the toll doubling went into effect.  I-Pass users pay half of what the cash lanes charge; on a summer day that'll save 50 cents and a fair amount of time each way at the South Beloit plaza.

Brad

I feel naked without my Fast-Trak.

It would be nice if we had one system nationwide.  Jersey and NY give you a discount for using EZ Pass, PA gives you nothing and MA charges you extra if you are from out of state.
 
My favorite, driving through an EZ Pass lane and seeing an employee sitting in the booth reading a magazine. 

Snipped of political snide comment. Sorry Joe.
MikeS.

Considering the volume of electronic theft from vehicles (nationwide) I have wondered what sort of security measures are inforce to help protect the 'victims' who have their transponder stolen (or the whole car) and have a toll bill run up by the 'Perp' ?? What liability do the victims have???

Again avoiding any political issues, there has been a lot of talk about new bridges over the Ohio River in the Louisville area, and the "possibility" of them being  Toll Maintained.  Since toll-road stuff is very scarce in these parts, there is a lot of controvery about 'Tolls' vs Free' !

The transponder SHOULD BE linked to a license plate in your car when you purchase and register.  I use mine in a portable way to use in rental cars, too - but, technically, I am supposed to register each car and license plate when I switch the transponder.  I guess it only becomes a problem when it becomes a problem, as they say.  But, if your transponder was stolen, you should be able to report it - and, so long as the license plate is viewable when passing through a toll booth, the "perp" would be caught - or at least be identifiable.

I have used my Fast Lane in NH, MA, NY, NH. DE MD.  I have not paid a toll in VA, NC, SC, and GA.  The Fast Lane did not work in Florida.
 
Walt

This is from the Fast Lane web site:
Massachusetts Turnpike (including the Sumner and Ted Williams Tunnels)
Massachusetts Port Authority (Tobin Memorial Bridge)
MBTA/Amtrak Parking Garage (FAST LANE transponders only)
New York State Thruway Authority: Entire Thruway including the New Rochelle Barrier, Yonkers Barrier, Tappen Zee Bridge, Spring Valley (commercial only), Harriman Barrier, City Line Barrier, Black River Barrier and Grand Island Bridges.
Port Authority of New York & New Jersey: Bayonne, George Washington and Goethals Bridges, Holland and Lincoln Tunnels and Outerbridge Crossing.
Metropolitan Transit Authority Bridges and Tunnels: Bronx-Whitestone, Cross Bay, Henry Hudson, Marine Parkway Gil Hodges, Throgs Neck, Triborough and Verrazano-Narrows Bridges and Brooklyn-Battery, and Queens Midtown Tunnels.
New Jersey Highway Authority: Garden State Parkway.
New Jersey Turnpike Authority: New Jersey Turnpike.
South Jersey Transportation Authority: Atlantic City Expressway.
Delaware Department of Transportation: Interstate 95 and Route 1.
Delaware River Port Authority: Commodore Barry, Walt Whitman, Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross Bridges.
Delaware River and Bay Authority: Delaware Memorial Bridge.
Maryland Transportation Authority: Francis Scott Key Bridge, Fort McHenry, William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial (Bay) Bridge, Gov. Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge, Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge, John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway and Baltimore Harbor Tunnels.
West Virginia Parkways: West Virginia Parkways - Economic Development and Tourism Authority: West Virginia Turnpike.
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission: Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority: Peace Bridge.
New York State Bridge Authority: Bear Mountain Bridge, Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, Mid-Hudson Bridge, Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, Rip Van Winkle Bridge.
Virginia Department of Transportation: Dulles Toll Road, Dulles Greenway, Coleman Bridge, Chesapeake Expressway, Powhite Parkway, Boulevard Bridge.
Maine Turnpike Authority
New Hampshire Department of Transportation-Bureau of Turnpikes: Hampton, Hooksett, Bedford.
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority: North-South Tollway, Tri-State Tollway, Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway, Northwest Tollway.
Indiana Toll Road
Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority: Claiborne Pell Bridge (Newport Bridge)
Ohio Turnpike Commission: Ohio Turnpike
Important: When you open your FAST LANE account, you must wait 3 days before using your new FAST LANE transponder to travel on EZ-Pass equipped toll facilities outside of Massachusetts.
Walt

waltpiii


This is from the Fast Lane web site:
Illinois State Toll Highway Authority: North-South Tollway, Tri-State Tollway, Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway, Northwest Tollway.

Otherwise known as Interstates 355, 94/294, 88, and 90.
 
I don't understand why Chicagoans have this strange desire to attach names to highways when they've already been given perfectly good numbers.
 
Brad

Brad_Olson


Otherwise known as Interstates 355, 94/294, 88, and 90.
 
I don't understand why Chicagoans have this strange desire to attach names to highways when they've already been given perfectly good numbers.
 
Brad

You forgot.... I-90 is the Jane Adams Memorial Tollway! There's also the Dan Ryan and the Bishop Ford!

It appears that Sunpass is Florida only.

Nice map. My Sister in Law lives in Texas, and I can drive the 1800 miles to there with only about $2 in tolls, but it costs me $18 in tolls to drive the 25 miles to my sister's place in Brooklyn. Ah the Northeast...

Does CT no longer collect tolls on the Conn Pike? it's been a decade since we drove I-95 north of NYC.

<<Does CT no longer collect tolls on the Conn Pike? it's been a decade since we drove I-95 north of NYC. >>

Must have been longer ago than that. The tolls were eliminated in the late 80's, primarily due to a couple of gruesome fatal accidents that occurred at the toll plazas.

Another sidelight on the issue of CT Turnpike tolls: In the early 80's there was an interesting controversy due to the fact that the CT Turnpike tokens, which were 35 cents each, worked like a charm as NY City Subway tokens which were somewhere around $1.25 each at the time. Turns out the same company made both tokens and didn't do a very good job of varying thier dyes.  That whole issue went away when the Turnpike eliminated the tolls.