Article published August 08, 2009
Turnpike decides to roll out E-ZPass, new rates on Oct. 1
Cash fares will climb about 50% for passenger cars, light trucks
By MARK ZABORNEY
and DAVID PATCH
BLADE STAFF WRITERS
E-ZPass arrives on the Ohio Turnpike Oct. 1 - as do increased fares for drivers who don't use the electronic toll system.
Those cash tolls will rise by about 50 percent for passenger cars and light trucks.
The Ohio Turnpike Commission approved a fare overhaul and, after years of debate, the E-ZPass system at its meeting in March. It announced yesterday when the new system would take effect.
A car traveling from I-75 in Toledo to the Indiana border now pays $2.75. A car traveling from I-75 to the Pennsylvania border now pays $7.50.
For motorists not using E-ZPass, the rates will be $4 from I-75 west to Indiana and $11 for the trip east to Pennsylvania when the system is activated.
| WHAT IT WILL COST |
• A car traveling from I-75 in Toledo to the Indiana border now pays $2.75. A car traveling from I-75 to the Pennsylvania border now pays $7.50.
• For motorists not using EZPass, the rates will be $4 from I-75 west to Indiana and $11 for the trip east to Pennsylvania.
• Cars using E-ZPass on Oct. 1 will pay the current cash fare.
• A one-way car trip across the length of the turnpike will cost $10.25 with E-ZPass and $15 without.
• Trucks will be charged based on the number of axles, rather than on weight. That could mean drivers of empty trucks will pay more and loaded trucks will pay less than now. |
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Cars using E-ZPass on Oct. 1 will pay the current cash fare.A one-way car trip across the length of the turnpike will cost $10.25 with E-ZPass and $15 without.
Trucks will be charged based on the number of axles, rather than on weight.
That could mean drivers of empty trucks will pay more and loaded trucks will pay less than now.
AAA Northwest Ohio hasn't had to address members' concerns about the coming changes. Members have been largely silent.
"It hasn't been front and center, but it sure could be now that this announcement has been made," AAA Vice President Sue McCloskey said.
The E-ZPass system works using radio signals from transponders on board vehicles that identify themselves when passing through toll plazas.
Fares are automatically deducted from users' accounts, which are paid either from a credit card or through a link to a checking account.
Lauren Hakos, an Ohio Turnpike spokesman, said electronic-tolling hardware has been installed at all of the turnpike's toll plazas and now is being tested for proper operation.
All 229 toll-plaza lanes on the turnpike will accept E-ZPass, she said.
While other states' toll roads, including the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the Illinois Tollways, offer express lanes for E-ZPass customers at high-volume locations, no such lanes will be initially available in Ohio.
The Ohio Turnpike will begin accepting E-ZPass applications on Aug. 17, both via its Web site, ohioturnpike.org, and over the telephone at 1-88-TURNPIKE (1-888-876-7453), Ms. Hakos said.
The Web site also has a toll calculator to compare E-ZPass and cash tolls.
While Ohio E-ZPasses will work on toll roads in other E-ZPass states, Ms. Hakos said they will only function after the electronic toll-collection system's Oct. 1 activation in Ohio.
E-ZPass users will enjoy a significant fare discount on the Ohio Turnpike.
But those using Ohio transponders will be charged a 75-cent monthly service fee.
Turnpike officials had mentioned a 50-cent monthly fee when they approved installing the E-ZPass system on the toll road last year, but Ms. Hakos said that amount was never cast in stone.
"The commission had always been considering some amount between 50 cents and a dollar, and they settled right in the middle," the spokesman said.
While Ohio's monthly fee will be higher than that of most neighboring E-ZPass states, the turnpike will require a lower initial deposit - $25 for passenger-car customers - than many of its neighbors do.
Ms. Hakos added that some E-ZPass states with lower service fees than Ohio plans to charge are reconsidering their fee structures.
Contact Mark Zaborney at:
mzaborney@theblade.com
or 419-724-6182.
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