It was September 05 that EZ Pass and I-Pass became interchangeable. Before that you had to have separate transponders. Well, in May of 05 the EZ Pass could be used on the I-Pass system, and then in September 05 the I-Pass became functional on the EZ Pass system. Trucks and RV's have to have a special blue I-Pass for it to be functional on the EZ Pass system.
There are Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system roads in Florida (SunPass and EPass), California (FasTrak), Oklahoma (Pikepass), Kansas (K-Tag) and Texas (TxTag) (and I'm sure others) where neither I-Pass or EZ Pass are accepted. The Ohio Turnpike will accept it the entire length of the roadway as soon as they complete that final Service Area remodel that they're doing (target date is Sep or Oct 2009). There are certain parking facilities and other off-road locations that accept EZ Pass but not I-Pass (mainly airport parking, but also parking at a couple of facilities in Atlantic City, as well as for parking at the NY State Fair).
EZ Pass and I-Pass are both accepted for the bridge toll into Canada out of Buffalo (the only EZ Pass toll booth outside of the United States). It wasn't accepted when I was last there, but by now the I-Pass and EZ Pass should be accepted for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel between Norfolk/Virginia Beach and Cape Charles. There is also a 2009 target date for the Rhode Island Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge to begin accepting EZ Pass.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, by law, must have its bridges and tunnels inspected and serviced every five years. It takes five years to inspect and service the bridges and tunnels, so the work never stops.
Can you imagine what kind of shape those bridges and tunnels would be in if the IBCBBTIWUA (Intrastate Brotherhood of Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Inspectors and Workers Union of America) was under the umbrella of the UAW?
If you don't have a toll transponder and are thinking about it (you really should have one if you're in this business) keep in mind that not all ETC transponder agencies are created equal. Virginia actually discourages non-Virginia residents from joining the EZ Pass program in their state. West Virginia isn't a good place to get one, either, due to their convoluted system of how they administer it differently to residents and non-residents.
There is a $10 refundable deposit on the Illinois I-Pass, and there is no charge for the tag itself, nor is there a perodic maintenance fee, as there is with some. The Indiana I-Zoom, there's a $7 fee for the tag if they mail it to ya, $2 if getting it in person, as a "retail convenience" fee, and there's a $1 per month maintenance fee.
Delaware and Maine both charge $25 non-refundable for the transponder itself. Massachusetts charges $25.95, New Hampshire charges $24.61. New Jersey and New York have no transponder fee, nor does Pennsylvania, although New Jersey charges a $1 per month maintenance fee, and Pennsylvania charges $3 per year. New York charges no maintenance fee. Ohio is rumored to have no transponder fee, but will charge fifty cents per month for the maintenance fee.
All the various agencies that offer EZ Pass compatible transponders have a minimum amount to establish an account, most range from between $25 and $50 (with West Virginia actually ranging from $25 to $285, depending on where you live and how often you think you'll be using the WV tolls within a given quarter, it's weird, stay away). And most have between $10 and $25 as a refundable deposit held on each tag, that you get back when you turn the tag back in to them.
There are 19 separate EZ Pass affiliated agencies, and other than Virginia and West Virginia who both discourage non-residents from enrolling in those states, the only No-No (No transponder fee, no periodic maintenance) agencies are Illinois, New York, Maryland, and the Peace Bridge Authority when entering Ft Erie out of Buffalo.
OK, yeah, shuuuure, I could have just said, "If you're gonna get an ETC transponder, make sure you get it in Illinois, New York, Maryland or at the Peace Bridge," but why say it in a single sentence when 732 will do?
Besides, someone would have said they're all the same and they'd be wrong.
The above schedule of fees, charges, rules, regulations, specifications and flavor availability are subject to change without notice. No warranty is expressed or implied. Your mileage may vary. The originator of this posting is not liable for the transmission of the information contained in this communication, unless he is the originator, in which case he probably is liable, and rightly so, considering the content of the aforementioned communication. Your eyes are weary from staring at the CRT. You feel sleepy. Notice how restful it is to watch the cursor blink. Close your eyes. The opinions stated above are yours. You cannot imagine why you ever felt otherwise.
