That dirty little secret means when you drive outside the state where you got your E-ZPass you won’t always get the biggest possible discount – and you’re often paying more than lots of the other E-ZPassers on the road with you. Paul: “That’s what we call E-ZPass’ dirty little secret.” That’s why AAA calls it, well, we’ll let them say it: When you buy the E-ZPass you think you’re a getting a discount.” If you had a NH E-ZPass you’d only be paying $1.40.ĭriver: “It’s misleading. Head to Concord with your Mass E-ZPass and you’ll pay two dollars. It happens at every toll in New Hampshire. If you have an E-ZPass issued in New Hampshire, you’ll pay only $2.46.īut with your Mass E-ZPass, you’re paying $3.50! 6.įor more information on other state's E-ZPass systems.Drive through the tolls at Rochester. MassDOT Board of Directors will make a final vote on rates on Oct.
To be eligible for a Massachusetts discount, drivers must get an Massachusetts-issued E-ZPass transponder, according to the MassDOT website. A transponder issued by New Hampshire offers a 30 percent discount on tolls in that state, Boynton said. He said out-of-state residents or frequent travelers through the state apply for an E-ZPass from New Hampshire. "There's no reason or ability to administer a transponder program."īut there's no residency requirement to get a transponder, said Bill Boynton, spokesperson for the state transportation agency in New Hampshire.
"We wouldn't realize the revenue of tolling from other states," he said. Other states pay for the administrative overhead, which includes paying for each transponder. There's no talk of offering E-ZPass transponders any time soon, Tetrault said. Vermont, with its 321-miles of toll-free interstate highways, is not. Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York join 13 other states in the E-ZPass consortium.
Drivers that don't use an E-ZPass transponder will see the cost nearly double: from $7.10 to $13.40 plus a 60-cent billing fee. Under the current proposal, E-ZPass drivers who want to drive the entire length of the 135-mile toll road will see a 45-cent discount, from the current $6.60 to $6.15. Officials also talked about the toll rates. Drivers won't have to stop at a toll plaza when they exit the highway, or slow down at the gantries. Massachusetts officials on Monday touted the system as a way to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, and avoid crashes at toll plazas.
The license plate would be matched with the vehicle registration holder and would be mailed a bill, a system dubbed "pay-by-plate." Drivers without a transponder who are from Vermont or other states fall into the latter category. If no transponder is found, a camera captures an image of the vehicle's license plate. When a vehicle with an E-ZPass transponder passes underneath, the system will charge the customer's account. Instead, a dozen toll gantries with electronic sensors would hang above the highway. The "all electronic toll" system will replace tool booth infrastructure and toll collectors. Vermont drivers who frequently travel the Mass Pike and want an E-ZPass transponder, he said, would have to sign up through that state. He noted that Vermont, which has no toll interstate highways, is not part of the multi-state E-ZPass consortium, Vermont has no plans to make the E-ZPass transponders available to residents, according to Richard Tetrault, deputy secretary for the state Agency of Transportation. Those without a transponder in their vehicle face paying a higher rate and a 60-cent billing fee – their license plate would be scanned automatically and they would receive a bill in the mail. The new system will replace the toll plazas and toll collectors along the 135-mile stretch of I-90 with an automated system using electronic gantries over the highway and E-ZPass transponders in vehicles.