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This is about transponders that are used to pay tolls on toll roads. They're common in the NE quadrant of the US, but maybe not in other parts.

We've been on a road trip with lots of tolls - Indiana, Ohio, NY, Massachusetts. Our transponder has always had problems being read by Indiana's 'technology', but this trip we experienced problems in Ohio, too.

I called for help in Indiana, and the rep asked me for the transponder's number, presumably so they could charge the account. When I looked, I also saw that it had an 'expiration' date of 1/21! No wonder it wasn't getting read; batteries don't last forever.

NY and MA had little problem - they photoed our license plate, went to Illinois's database, picked up the transponder number and hit our I-pass account. Indiana hasn't hit the account yet - they have very few people at toll gates, and I think they let us through to prevent the backup at the gates from getting even bigger than it was. Ohio took the problem in stride, although it cost a few minutes.

Why Indiana and Ohio don't have open road tolling is **politics**. Indiana sold the Indiana Toll Road, so that really is fucked up. I really dislike the ITR. I hate the Chicago Skyway, but I avoid that at the cost of, usually, 7 minutes or so. Avoiding the ITR would cost a couple of hours, not ideal when traveling 800-1000 miles. )I drive partly because of cost and partly because I hate flying more than the ITR. )

Illinois actually notified me that the transponder may have expired - on 10/10/22, 3 days into the trip, when I was 1000 miles away from a replacement. They've had all the data about the device since they gave it to me. Gee, I'd set the system up to generate an expired notice on schedule....

Anyway, if you use a transponder and have trouble, check the expiration date.

[This message edited by SI Staff at 7:39 PM, Friday, October 14th]

Ugh. Sorry that happened to you!

Sounds as if you were hitting the I-80 and I-90 toll roads. I don't have a transponder for several states -- just a couple of states. So I always had to stop at toll booths when I drove through Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, NY and Mass. The last trip I made, there were no 'people' to take money. After arriving home, I got statements in the mail from Mass. and New York, which I paid. I'm quite sure we 'taxpayers' have paid for these roads long ago. But they keep collecting. It seems they can do everything else so why not a transponder that talks to you?? Like ''Hey you! Renew your transponder!"

I cannot begin to tell you how many issues we had traveling between Chicago and the East Coast with our i-Pass, particularly on the ITR. Don't remember the problem so much in Ohio, but it's probably been over a decade since we traveled it. When we moved away from Chicago, we kept our account active and transponder because we used to use it when we'd travel to MA to see our daughter, and rent a car. But now we drive their cars when we're there and they have accounts that their cars are registered with.

I remember being stuck at a toll gate a few times that wouldn't go up because the scanner couldn't read my transponder. And it had nothing to do with batteries. I mean, I'd have to sit there, waiting for someone to either come over and lift the gate, or wait for someone on the intercom. It's unnerving to have so many people honking behind you. I eventually started to just go through the gate where you pay cash to avoid getting stuck.

So I feel your pain.

Ah, yes ... the ITR. The I-pass unit never did well with their readers. I may just use US 20 for the next trip East, since we're only going as far as NYC.

I got a new transponder yesterday. It expires in 2032. If I do ride the ITR again, I bet the Indiana readers will have trouble with it despite its newness(?)....

[This message edited by SI Staff at 3:51 PM, Saturday, October 15th]

Thanks for the reminder to check the transponder when and if I ever get it back...

Just another nudge about being aware of the tech in our lives and it's little quirks!

Funny story, my Son went to college in Michigan, we made several road trips there along 80 in Illinois. We loved stopping at the Illinois Tollway Oasis. They had a food court and it was a nice break.

I get home and find a charge for Illinois Tollway $103. I’m pissed!!! I’m calling but not getting any help. How can they charge me that much for the few miles I traveled? I disputed every which way.

Then "oh shit". It was the atm withdrawal at the oasis 🤣🤣🤣

^^^^^^^
LOL!

We have both an Illinois i-pass and Florida Uni-pass. It looks like the iPass is four years old and uni-pass just under two. We last used the i-pass last summer when we had two cars in Chicago. Need to remember to check the verify the expiration date on it, though we don't really use it much anymore. The kids grandparents are both in Florida so I added a Uni-pass after wife blew through GA in the toll lanes in fall of 2020. Bill's for that trickled in over six months as the plates were harder to read at some gates than others. At the time Uni-pass worked as an ezpass but not the reverse. Those states systems appear to take ez-pass now which means that isn't so much an issue. FWIW the uni-pass has suction cups instead of velcro which makes it easier to move. The best part of having a transponder, besides not having to stop at the booths, is getting half off on Illinois tolls. Luckily, I've never had to deal with Ohio and Indiana tolls as both are along to the top of the state and we are generally driving south of there.

Sisoon, I don't live far from you. Illinois sent me a letter when each of our I Pass transponders was about to expire and stop working. We have four cars and four passes. I wonder why you didn't get any notification? (But it is Illinois, right? I actually should be surprised that I did get notifications!)

Eta: never mind. I see you were notified, but late. ("Illinois--we get it done. Eventually.") Just kidding. I love my state.

[This message edited by OwningItNow at 7:31 PM, Monday, October 17th]

There should be a standard toll pass that includes all states. They make it too complicated. It's been three years but I seem to recall the NY tolls were much more expensive than the Mass. toll charges. I never encountered toll roads in Indiana or Ohio - as I stuck with I-70 east then went up I-75 north and didn't hit the toll road until Toledo.

I agree with Jeannie. It is way too complicated.

FWIW Ez-pass compatible ones now cover most of the toll roads east of the Mississippi. FL, GA, and NC were the hold outs that have since merged or are in the process of merging. 19 states between Minnesota, Maine and Florida. California has their own. Txpass (wife travels across Ok & Tx) is a separate shared pass used in Texas, Ok, and Kansas. Most have moved away from the booths, labor intensive, to plate capture if you don't have a working, compatible transponder. The peach pass in GA toll lanes are weird. There's variable pricing for using them according to traffic levels.

[This message edited by grubs at 10:39 PM, Monday, October 17th]

When my daughter moved to Wisconsin from Florida, her car was transported on one of those big auto-transport trucks. We’d sold her the car and left our E-Z Pass transponder in it. imagine my surprise when I got hit with a pretty big bill because when the transport truck went through the tollbooths, it picked up my EZ Pass.

I was able to get the charges reversed once I sent the bill for the auto transport but it sure was a crazy situation.