EZ-Pass

[Nick R]

So two things here. First, who else here has an EZ-Pass tag? It makes going on trips nicer especially around busy toll booths.

The other thing is, how long do the batteries in these transponders last? We've had ours about 3 years, and we haven't used in in about a year. There is no way of telling if the battery is dead. How long should they last?

 

[The motor guy]

We have EZ tag in houston. You guys must have the old type up in there. There just stickers that go on the windshield down here.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

I still have my New York EZ Pass..The batteries went dead after about 5 years..If it does go dead while you are on a trip call them and let them know and they will take it out of your existing account..There is no way to test it so it will have go dead on you to find out..There are some EZ Pass offices around so if you are in the area and see one you can have them test it for you..You just mail back the old one to EZ Pass and they give you a new one when it goes dead..It has been awhile but I do not recall them charging me for a new one

The one I have now I just use once a year when I go up there..Make sure you have a account balance on your account..I use a credit card and carry a 25 buck minimum..Also make sure they have the right car and plate number on file or there will be issues.

Down here I have SUNPASS which works the exact same way.

 

[Nick R]

Interestingly, we've only ever had the expedition on the account, but we've used it in the mustang, the jeep, the cavalier, and in my focus, and never had any issues. However to be safe, I did just go into the account and add in the rest of the vehicles.

 

[OilNerd]

EZ-Pass comes in handy. There are no toll roads this far north in the state, but when I visit family in Buffalo, NYC/NNJ, or Florida, it comes in really handy.

It also has a sweet discount on the Verrazano–Narrows Bridge, only $9.60 vs. $13 cash (NY issued EZ-Pass tags only).

EDIT: Nick, IIRC, there's an EZ-Pass Service Center in Albany (Excecutive Drive, or something like that) that should be able to check your tag.

 

[OilNerd]

Found it, Nick:

E-Z Pass Customer Service Center

Albany

Four Executive Park Drive
Albany, NY 12203-3717

Hours:
Monday-Friday: 9am-5pm

 

[dailydriver]

I had one, but gave it up since I could not stand the 'service charge' of a buck per month.

There were times of no/low usage when all of my remaining balance was burned up by said charges.

If they ever change the policies, and make it TOTALLY free of superfluous charges, I will be first in line to get a new one!

 

[OilNerd]

Originally Posted By: CROWNVIC4LIFE
I still have my New York EZ Pass..The batteries went dead after about 5 years..If it does go dead while you are on a trip call them and let them know and they will take it out of your existing account..There is no way to test it so it will have go dead on you to find out..There are some EZ Pass offices around so if you are in the area and see one you can have them test it for you..You just mail back the old one to EZ Pass and they give you a new one when it goes dead..It has been awhile but I do not recall them charging me for a new one


You're correct, there's no charge for a defective tag swapout. The issuing authority technically "owns" the tag, so it's their problem. If you lose the tag, or damage it by trying to open it, then there's a charge.

I like my SunPass better, as far as user-friendliness goes. It beeps and gives me the green light when it's all good and will warn you if the battery gets low, and the CR2032 battery is replaceable the user.

 

[OilNerd]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver
I had one, but gave it up since I could not stand the 'service charge' of a buck per month.

There were times of no/low usage when all of my remaining balance was burned up by said charges.

If they ever change the policies, and make it TOTALLY free of superfluous charges, I will be first in line to get a new one!

Knock on wood... I don't pay a monthly fee for my EZ-Pass tag issued by the NYS Thruway Authority (NYSTA).

I got one for my sister that lives in Jersey when NJ EZ-Pass started that mess. It still works, and is available to out-of-state residents, but I think that the NJ Turnpike Authority is considering eliminating off-peak discounts for non-NJ tags. (Probably tit-for-tat for MTA's move)

PM me, if you're interested in getting a NYSTA tag. When you activate it on the web, you just choose the New York site, not the Jersey site. Other than that, it works fine. Of course, I can't promise it'll always be fee-free, as bad ideas tend to spread.

 

[sciphi]

I have one. It went dead on me when going through Chicago, and got me into a months-long fight with the Illinois toll folks. They alleged I had hopped a toll and wanted to charge me $$$ for toll-hopping, the maximum toll on the road, and some other fees. We sent them all the paperwork they asked for, they lost it, increased the fine, and eventually figured out we did in fact have a valid EZ Pass account here in NY. So all the toll-hopping fees got dropped, and we paid the toll since it never got charged to our account in the first place.

We found out it was dead by an automated gate not letting us through, and angering many Chicago drivers during rush hour while we explained what was going on to a toll worker.

That one was replaced with another waiting for us at home when we got back from the vacation.

It is nice heading to Buffalo on I-90 West to dive around the giant lines that form at the tollbooth from all the other folks who don't have one.

 

[JHZR2]

We have them - great thing. Many tolls discount for EZP use, so the service fee is more than paid for.

Ive gotten notifications from the NJ EZP office that they recommend I change them from time to time (after years).

If it goes bad it depends upon the state. I likely have a big ticket in MD because once my EZP didnt register on a $2 toll in Baltimore, and they charged me a $3 service fee to "find me" so I could pay the $2 toll. I told them that Id be happy to pay the $2 toll but not the 150% service fee.

In NJ, if you go through they send the ticket and so long as you sign that you have an EZP and the account is # XXXXXXX, then they will just charge and it is no big deal, just a stamp.

 

[OilNerd]

I'm kind of shocked that people have been billed extra for failed toll reads.

My father's EZ-Pass worked his entire trip down to NYC/NNJ and then failed at the last toll booth, in Albany (he got the "Call E-Z Pass" light). The Thruway folks just posted the toll to his account from the plate picture, no muss, no fuss. He did call to check, though.

It must be different when traveling out-of-state, though you would think that if a toll authority can bill your EZ-Pass that they should be able to run your plate in the database, as well.

And Express EZ-Pass (highway-speed) lanes are the cat's meow!

 

[JTK]

I believe one of my two NY EZpass transponder tags is over 8yrs old. I've never even thought about them having a battery! I've had EZpass for over 15yrs, but I know atleast once they made me trade old tags for new. There's no costs to any of that.

Joel

 

[sciphi]

I'm not sure how a situation like mine would be handled now. That happened in 2006, IIRC.

 

[rjundi]

I have had mine since 2005 it still works perfectly fine. I was lucky too as it was only $5/transponder at the roll out of toll.

I like having one as it gives a 33% discount at NH tolls and I don't have to waste time paying attendants.

No fees involved with the service in my state, it just dips $30 from my credit card when the reserve gets low enough.

 

[OilNerd]

I remember paying the upfront fee for my tag here in NY (they go for $25 here at the grocery store, IIRC), but after registering it, the $25 went back into my account, making it essentially free.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: OilNerd
I'm kind of shocked that people have been billed extra for failed toll reads.

My father's EZ-Pass worked his entire trip down to NYC/NNJ and then failed at the last toll booth, in Albany (he got the "Call E-Z Pass" light). The Thruway folks just posted the toll to his account from the plate picture, no muss, no fuss. He did call to check, though.

It must be different when traveling out-of-state, though you would think that if a toll authority can bill your EZ-Pass that they should be able to run your plate in the database, as well.

And Express EZ-Pass (highway-speed) lanes are the cat's meow!


They sure are, and what you described is how it SHOULD work. That's how it works in NJ and on the bridges to PA.

It may just be MD where they try to fix their budget issues by slapping a $3 service charge onto a $2 toll.

That's what I call highway robbery. Any police officer can look up a license plate from any state and find out about the car... But EZP-MD cant do this in an automated fashion?

 

[calvin1]

I've used I-Pass in Illinois for almost 10 years and never had any trouble. The two times I've used it in EZ-Pass land I've had trouble. Can someone tell me why Illinois can get a read at 85MPH (theoretically, of course) but NYS can't get one at 5MPH?

BTW, the I-Pass booths have really got me mistrained for driving through the ones in the east coast. How you have to drive through the booths in NY and MD would get you flattened or shot in IL. There are many things to dislike about IL but the electronic tolling just rocks. 15MPH posted limit through the booth? Heh, try 40MPH minimum if you don't want the guy behind you in your trunk. However even those are pretty rare. Open road tolling is da bomb. No tolling would be even better but what are you going to do?

 

[rslifkin]

The batteries last a pretty long time. At 3 years, it's almost definitely fine. BTW, EZpass rocks, especially when you hit a spot with the 55mph overhead readers

 

[PF52]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
...and got me into a months-long fight with the Illinois toll folks.


The Illinois tollway administration is the worst. If we don't pay a toll, we get a notice in the mail (and a big fine) like 18 months later, and then its just a picture of the car's license plate and a date, and a toll plaza number. I've gotten a couple of these - and sure, its the plaza I use all the time, and yet I've never skipped out on a toll. You can't fight it however; its your word against theirs' and they only believe themselves.

So to fight the system I got an INDIANA pass instead of one from Illinois. It works perfectly here in Illinois as well as Indiana, Ohio and all the EZPass states. I don't know if each state reimburses the others for out-of-state use but I like to think all my toll money goes to the good people of Indiana instead of Illinois.