E-ZPass electronic-toll transponders became available Tuesday at five AAA Northwest Ohio retail centers and will be offered at a sixth next month when it opens.

The move was announced Tuesday by AAA and Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission representatives.

The transponders are issued by the turnpike, which has been a part of the E-ZPass electronic tolling system since late 2009. E-ZPass users save about 33 percent on the turnpike, compared with conventional cash tolls, and receive toll discounts on many of the other toll roads and bridges in 17 states and at the Canadian border in the Buffalo area.

E-ZPass tags already were available at turnpike service plazas and numerous off-turnpike locations. In the Toledo area, those included Barney’s Convenience Mart stores, Mickey Mart convenience stores, certain Speedway convenience stores, and Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles deputy registrar offices in Oregon, Fremont, and Port Clinton.

The AAA Northwest Ohio stores are at 308 New Towne Square Dr. and 5606 Airport Highway, Toledo; 3201 Meijer Dr., Sylvania Township; 1007 N. Clinton St., Defiance, and 2870 East Harbor Rd. B, Port Clinton. A new AAA location at 25740 N. Dixie Highway, Perrysburg is scheduled to open June 11.

The turnpike commission charges an initial $12 for the tags, $9 of which is applied to users’ account balances, and deducts a 75-cent monthly service fee that is waived for customers who use the toll road for at least 30 trips per month. Transponders require 24 hours to activate for use in Ohio and 48 hours for use in neighboring states.

Ohio E-ZPass users must link their accounts to a credit card to which an initial $25 account balance is charged, and from which the account is replenished whenever the balance falls below $10 — either to $25 or to an average of their recent monthly tolls. Other E-ZPass states have different fee structures and account-maintenance procedures.

First Published May 22, 2018, 9:15 p.m.