Get EZ Pass if you are Using the PA Turnpike

[TerryB]

Pennsylvania continues to use the revenue from the PA turnpike tolls to pay for all kinds of non turnpike highway programs.  If you don’t have EZ pass you will pay a very high price for turnpike tolls.  If you are planning to use the turnpike to get to Hershey be sure to look into EZ pass to avoid any toll surprises.  Toll booths are no longer manned so you will instead get a bill in the mail using your license plate as a way to find and bill you.  Just wanted to post this now so you have time to get and register your device.

[cudaman]

Thanks, I didn't realize that the toll would be cheaper with EZ pass.

[Ray62]

43 minutes ago, cudaman said:

Thanks, I didn't realize that the toll would be cheaper with EZ pass.

Per the info. below from the PA Turnpike website, you get a substantial discount for using EZ Pass: 

 

E-Z Pass makes traveling the PA Turnpike even more convenient. As you drive through a Toll Point with an E-ZPass transponder, our toll equipment captures your trip information, calculates the toll, and deducts it from your E-ZPass pre-paid account balance. E-ZPass customers pay the lowest toll rate, up to 60% less.

[ArticiferTom]

To use EZ Pass is nice . Remember you have to keep a balance in it . Which they will auto draw for your bank account or cc . Be sure to watch . Had my unit duplicate or something was paying for some one else use . it was not much and turnpike as been working to correct and see how, last three months . In mean time i keep my unit in aluminum foil per them , to prevent signal , DO NOT turn off remove battery as there is re up charge  .

[trimacar]

I've used EZ pass for years, as I worked in Philadelphia for a number of years commuting from Virginia.

 

They recharge the account in increments of $35 so no big burden on one's account, and SO much easier to get through the toll booths.  As mentioned, numerous toll roads now require electronic payment, the world we live in....

[TAKerry]

I live on the 95 corridor, it seems there is nowhere I can travel without having to pay a toll. I even have to pay a toll to get into and out of my county! EZ pass is the best thing to hit interstate travel than the dedicated off ramp,LOL. To make it a bit easier if you dont use it a lot you can do the pay by plate registered through ez pass. It works the same and you do not need the transponder. Yes rates are considerably cheaper. YOU need to register ahead of time to not be confused with the normal way they take tolls now which is by the plate.

 

My best friend in HS started working for the state DOT in the toll area around 1985. He was telling me about an electronic system they were working on to collect tolls from cars travelling at speed. Said it was going to replace the ticket booth (his mother was a toll taker). I thought it was science fiction at the time. LOL.

[Bill - 29 Buick]

I live in Canada and use EZ Pass when I'm in the USA.  They charge it to my Visa, I think, once a month.

 

Bill McLaughlin

Toronto, Canada

[charlier]

I have had an EZ-Pass device for 15+ years now and save a lot of $$$$ over those years.

 

A few things to keep in mind about EZ-Pass:

 

- An EZ-Pass can save you $$$ on a number of toll roads not just the PA Turnpike. For instance the Ohio Turnpike, NY State Thru-Way, the Atlantic City Expressway and others offer discounts in addition to the PA Turnpike. It can also be used on ALL the Philadelphia /NJ Bridges, some if not all the NY city bridges, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and others. Discounts (if any) vary for bridge tolls. 

- EZ-Pass does charge a yearly fee for your account. Different states have EZ-Pass and there are differences in the yearly fee. For example the fee for my Pennsylvania EZ-Pass account is $3/year. Friends of mine had an EZ-Pass account in Maryland which had a higher yearly fee. They canceled their Maryland account and opened up a Pennsylvania account. FYI, this account fee is just for the account and is the same fee regardless of what vehicles & or trailers are on the account.

- Back in 2019 I attended the Grand National in Auburn. Round trip I saved $45 compared to the cash toll prices on the Ohio & PA turnpikes.

- My EZ-Pass account is setup to recharge the account with $35 (the minimum amount) from one of my credit cards. When I took the trip to Auburn I manually added more funds to the account before I left on the trip. Once I got there and saw the cost of the tolls I manually added more money to the account to cover the return trip. Had I not done that the EZ-Pass system would have seen the spike in my toll usage and would have increased the minimum recharge amount ($35) automatically to cover the higher tolls.

 

Currently I have my daily driver SUV, pickup truck and trailer on my EZ-Pass Account. I also have my AACA DPC car on the account as well. In years past I had more vehicles on the account.

 

I plan to drive my DPC car to Hershey in October. Given the current toll rates for this trip (2 exits on the PA TP) I will save $3.70 compared to the non EZ-Pass rate each way. That savings will go towards at least part of my lunch one day.

 

If you are curious about your potential savings using an EZ-Pass use the link below. It might surprise/shock you especially if you are towing a twin axle trailer with a pickup truck (ie 4 axles).

 

Click here for the PA Turnpike Toll Calculator

 

 

 

[TAKerry]

My ez pass acct (Maryland)automatically replenishes when it hits a low balance of $15. Bumps back to $50. I have no need to make any adjustments at all whether I am using it frequently or not. My work area is fairly broad and changes from day to day. I can go 2 months and not hit a single toll and then I can be doing a job that will eat through the balance every couple of days. I have transponders in 3 cars and have another car and my motorcycle listed. 

[Bryan G]

Maryland no longer charges a regular fee; you just have to pay for what you use. Transponders are free for MD addresses. When I tried to get one for the RV I had, I found it wouldn't let me do it online. I was able to do it fairly easily on the phone. Their customer service is surprisingly good. Likewise, I couldn't find a way to grab one for my '49. Since I sold the RV I've just taken to carrying that transponder in the old car. Though the tags were returned over a year ago, it still works fine, deducting from my account just like it should. I don't attach it to the windshield but just hold it up as I go under the receivers.

[ply33]

2 hours ago, Bryan G said:

Maryland no longer charges a regular fee; you just have to pay for what you use. Transponders are free for MD addresses. When I tried to get one for the RV I had, I found it wouldn't let me do it online. I was able to do it fairly easily on the phone. Their customer service is surprisingly good. Likewise, I couldn't find a way to grab one for my '49. Since I sold the RV I've just taken to carrying that transponder in the old car. Though the tags were returned over a year ago, it still works fine, deducting from my account just like it should. I don't attach it to the windshield but just hold it up as I go under the receivers.

Just lurking on this topic but this caught my eye. California has to do things its own way so we have Fastrak which is only good in the state. One thing though is that you can add as many cars as you want to one account/transponder, simply log into your account and add the license plate numbers, and if I recall correctly, a vehicle description for all your vehicles. There are cameras at each toll location with license plate recognition that will bill based on the license plate if the transponder is missing or broken. Turns out our transponder died and we did not know about it for about two years as the plate recognition was very reliable.

 

I have my old car's license number on my account and, in theory, my account should be billed correctly if I ever decide to drive it on one of the expressways around here. When I was in the SF Bay Area there were rumors that the license plate readers had trouble with some YOM plates and I know one fellow who said he was never billed for is trips across the Golden Gate Bridge. That was some years ago and I bet glitches like that have been addressed.

 

Anyway, there is no need here to get separate transponders for each vehicle in this state. Probably not much need of a transponder at all if you have your cars added to your Fastrak account. Main reason for a transponder would be to set the switch to the number of people in the car so you get free or discounted charges if you are carpooling. At least for the Bay Area and I think LA. Seems like the toll roads in Orange County don’t discount for carpooling.

[MotiveLensPhoto]

The ez-pass type product works on every toll road east of the Mississippi (according to my brother the trucker). They all are linked to your credit card and will reload. In Illinois the cash rate is 2x the ez-pass rate so it is well worth it.

 

Western states have different ones, and the OK one only works in OK. It's an idiotic system, IMO.

[Bloo]

Does anyone know if the Washington State transponder works? It is also "EZ-Pass" (unlike California).

 

[ply33]

32 minutes ago, Bloo said:

Does anyone know if the Washington State transponder works? It is also "EZ-Pass" (unlike California).

 

Washington State is not listed on the EZ-Pass group’s website: https://e-zpassiag.com/get-e-zpass

[ply33]

49 minutes ago, MotiveLensPhoto said:

The ez-pass type product works on every toll road east of the Mississippi (according to my brother the trucker). They all are linked to your credit card and will reload. In Illinois the cash rate is 2x the ez-pass rate so it is well worth it.

 

Western states have different ones, and the OK one only works in OK. It's an idiotic system, IMO.

Congress mandated that all the toll road systems had to interoperate by 2016 but did not provide funding or penalties. There is a fairly good article about it at https://www.lx.com/politics/why-are-34-states-ignoring-a-law-designed-to-make-your-road-trip-easier/37399/ 

[ted sweet]

holding the transonder is asking to cause an accident and is a ticket in ny

[TAKerry]

I keep mine attached to the windshield. Never had a need for the foil bag, doesnt make sense to me, it only gets a hit when going through a toll reader which is its intended purpose!

[harvey b]

Im from Canada and we have been driving in PA and neighbouring states and have never been charged,my province only has 1 plate on our vehicles?been 2 years now and never any bills,i do stop and pay at the stations where you have to stop?. hoping it still works on my next trip😀

[46 woodie]

I did read that the toll's on the PA Turnpike were increased recently and quite a steep increase at that. I have EZ Pass and the last time I looked the toll for the Verrazzano Bridge from Long Island to Staten Island is $6.55 with EZ Pass and $10.17 without, so you get a savings of about $3.60, not a bad savings, almost a gallon of gas. I know that in my area EZ Pass has helped speed up the traffic dramatically. At one time we had to drive up to the toll gate, pay the toll and the gate went up, think how slow that was and multiply it by the thousands and thousands of cars that go over the bridge daily. Now the toll is paid at 65 MPH (traffic permitting) and the traffic keeps moving. Who ever invented EZ Pass should get some kind of award!

[Walt G]

I can confirm what 46woodie says, happened to us as well as we live on long island too.  The E Z pass has helped a lot , and road conditions on Staten Island have as well - used to be half the highway was shut down because of the banks of land along the highway would slide down into the roadway in wet weather and block off lanes - so a 3 lane highway would become one....................

[TerryB]

2 hours ago, harvey b said:

Im from Canada and we have been driving in PA and neighbouring states and have never been charged,my province only has 1 plate on our vehicles?been 2 years now and never any bills,i do stop and pay at the stations where you have to stop?. hoping it still works on my next trip😀

PA did away with human toll collectors on the turnpike.  Now it’s a plate photo and billing at the higher rates or use EZ pass.  

[Marty Roth]

On 8/21/2023 at 7:57 PM, trimacar said:

I've used EZ pass for years, as I worked in Philadelphia for a number of years commuting from Virginia.

 

They recharge the account in increments of $35 so no big burden on one's account, and SO much easier to get through the toll booths.  As mentioned, numerous toll roads now require electronic payment, the world we live in....

Absolutely Agree !

 

Even though I'm in Louisiana, for many, many years we travelled to the DC, PA, NY, NJ, Mid-West and Northeast, supporting the hobby, and as a national AACA Board member.

When I drove from Richmond, VA to my Dad's funeral in NYC, I had to stop multiple times to pay tolls, and each toll was as much as a half hour delay. I made the same trip with my sister's EZ Pass Transponder the next week and zipped through the toll bypass each time, not having to deal with traffic and cash and exact change.

 

On our next trip Nawth, I stopped at the very first EZ Pass location, which happened to be in Maryland, and have maintained that account for over 22 years now. 

 

I think Pennsylvania charges "Out-Of-State" EZ-Pass users a higher amount for each toll, compared to those whose EZ-Pass account is based in Pennsylvania. This may also be true of other states, as well.

My Maryland EZ-Pass charges me $1.50 for every month in which I do not pay a toll IN MARYLAND - and that is probably 99% of the time, --- but paying $18  each year for not having to stop at every toll booth - or get a bill in the mail from an unmanned toll - is well spent, as far as I'm concerned !

Maybe I should look into another state, because virtually all of my tolls are in Pennsylvania - Just wondering what they charge to set up their account?

Edited September 15, 2023 by Marty Roth (see edit history)