Ez Pass Working Process
When driving slowly through a toll lane, the electronic system reads your EZ Pass transponder using a transmitting antenna. After reading your transponder in a matter of seconds, the system will deduct the toll fee from your EZ Pass prepaid account.
Some toll facilities open up their gates to deduct toll fee after reading your transponder. Subsequently, there is a video enforcement system in place to identify motorists who are violators. At the end of the toll lane, a traffic signal is displayed, indicating that you have paid the toll. If you havent for some reason, the signal will notify you to Contact EZ Pass immediately for more information.
Cash Credit And Debit
Cash or Coin
Cash payments speak for themselves. Paying with cash means using legal tender, whether notes or coins, in order to pay your toll.
For agencies that collect cash payments, tolls are often taken at unstaffed toll booths. In such cases, exact change is often required.
In case exact an payment is not available, many agencies will permit overpayment at an unstaffed toll booth however, no change will be issued for payment above the required toll. Change can only be issued at staffed toll booths.
In such circumstances, the option to use a credit card or debit card is sometimes available.
In states or on roadways the option to use a credit card or debit is permitted, the cards typicall must include a recognized financial network, such as Visa or Master Card.
Mobile Apps
Mobile apps are being adopted as a form of payment in many jurisdictions as agencies make technological upgrades. However, this option, like bank cards, is neither widely adopted nor evenly applied.
Part of the issue is integration, as many competing apps are accepted by various agencies. However, no single agency currently accepts all apps for payment, and no toll payment app has yet been adopted universally.
Calculate Your Missed Toll In New York
If you wish to calculate tolls, fuel costs, and routes for your travel in New York and the nearby states by car, taxi, bus, caravans , you could use NY Toll Calculator. It also shows the cheapest, the fastest, and other optimal routes to your destination along with toll plaza location en route, payment methods, and more.
You can also download the free TollGuru Trip Calculator app from or the App Store. Both, our website calculator and apps, are totally free for all passenger vehicles.
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What Do You Do If A Toll Violation Was Issued In Error
Toll violations are hardly issued in error due to the advanced technology used at toll lanes. However, glitches are possible, and this may lead to errors. On a daily basis, quite a few drivers are issued a toll violation in error, and you could be one of them. If you suspect that you have not violated a toll lane, you can dispute it. But before then, you need to do your due diligence.
- Make sure you have sufficient balance in your toll account: You can check your balance after exiting the toll gate and before you pass through another. If your balance covers the toll fee, then it means you probably didnt commit any offense intentionally
- Make sure your transponder is working and properly positioned: Check your transponder to ensure it is positioned upright and is working well
If yours is a case of being in the wrong lane or you didnt make the full payment for some reason, you can contact EZ Pass customer service to pay what you owe. If you want to go ahead to contest the violation, do visit the EZPass website to review instructions about how to dispute the violation notice issued to you.
Pay Toll Later Using Tolls By Mail
For motorists without an E-ZPass, tolls in New York are collected using Toll by Mail cashless tolling system . If you do not have E-ZPass, an image of your license plate is captured and a Toll Bill is mailed to the registered owners address on file with DMV. The Tolls by Mail customers pay a higher toll rate than the NY E-ZPass toll rate, in addition to a $2 administrative surcharge per billing statement. This is due to the time and cost associated with the process to identify vehicles that do not have the tag properly mounted or not detected in the vehicle.
The Tolls by Mail rate is equivalent to the cash rate.
Toll Bills are mailed approximately 30-40 days after your first date of travel. If you dont want to wait for the Bill, you can search and pay for tolls by the license plate on the E-ZPass website . Toll transactions are usually available approximately one week from the date of travel.
If you feel you have received a notice of violation notice in error, you may contact the Violations Processing Unit at:
E-ZPass Customer Service CenterAlbany, NY 12212-5186+1-800-333-8655
Also, E-ZPass customers who do not properly mount their E-ZPass tag, which results in their tag not reading properly while traveling on the Thruway, will be charged the Tolls by Mail toll rate. All E-ZPass NY customers with special discount plans will also be charged the Tolls by Mail rate when their tag is not read. To ensure you receive the E-ZPass NY discounted toll rate, mount your tag properly.
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New York State Thruway Starts Accepting Cash Payments Again
For the first time in more than two months, toll collectors will accept cash at staffed exits along the 496-mile New York State Thruway starting 11:59 p.m.Wednesday.
Cash collections were suspended March 22 to halt the COVID-19 spread.
Enhanced safety features have been installed along collection stations over the past two months, Thruway officials said, to protect toll collectors.
Plexiglass barriers will separate collectors and motorists. Toll collection staff will continue to wear face coverings and sanitize workstations periodically throughout their shifts.
Motorists may experience delays at cash booths, Thruway representatives said, as new procedures are implemented.
No changes are expected for contactless EZ-Pass customers.
“As we move forward, we will be taking every step possible to protect our workforce and drivers,” Thruway Authority executive director Matthew Driscoll said in a statement.
Cash customers who traveled the Thruway between March 22 and 8:59 p.m. May 31 will receive one bill for their one toll bill for their travels which includes all accumulated tolls and no additional fees.
Customers can pay with a credit card through the Thruway Authoritys website or by mail.
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The Thruway will phase in cashless toll collection throughout the entire system through the end of 2020 when cash payment will no longer be accepted.
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What If A Vehicle’s License Plate Is Unreadable
The Thruway Authority contends its system has enough safeguards in place to ensure it can properly bill motorists.
The high-tech cameras on the tolling gantries capture photos of each vehicle’s license plate from multiple angles. If the automatic system doesn’t pick up the plate system on its own, it flags a manual review in which the photos can be enhanced and assessed by a human.
Under state law, it’s the responsibility of the driver to ensure their license plate is clean, readable and unobstructed. Otherwise, the driver can face a fine of $25 to $200, according to the Vehicle and Traffic Law.
Motorists should be fully aware of their responsibility to have clean and visible plates, and the New York State Police will enforce these vehicle traffic laws,” said Jennifer Givner, Thruway spokesperson.
That said, thousands of New York motorists are driving around with plates that are peeling, a common problem that forced the state into changing vendors for the plates’ laminate covering. The state DMV offers free replacements for any peeling plates.
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How Does It Work
Cashless Tolling is a new innovative method of toll collection used on the entire Thruway. With Cashless Tolling, all vehicles simply drive under a tolling gantry and enjoy the benefits of reduced congestion, improved safety, and reduced air pollution.
If you have E-ZPass, it is business as usual. Be sure to mount your E-ZPass tag on the windshield and keep your license plates and payment information up to date on your account.
NOTE: E-ZPass customers who do not properly mount their E-ZPass tag , which results in their tag not reading properly while traveling on the Thruway, will be charged the Tolls by Mail toll rate. The Tolls by Mail rate is 30% higher than the E-ZPass NY toll rate. This is due to the time and cost associated with the process to identify vehicles that do not have the tag properly mounted or not detected in the vehicle. All E-ZPass NY customers with special discount plans will also be charged the Tolls by Mail rate when their tag is not read. To ensure you receive the E-ZPass NY discounted toll rate, mount your tag properly. For additional information see Thruway Tolls FAQs
If you do not have E-ZPass, an image of your license plate is captured and a Toll Bill is mailed to the registered owners address on file with DMV.
How Do Toll Roads Work
Certain highways and roads in the U.S. require a small fee to travel on, but only about half the states in the U.S. have toll roads.
Should you encounter a toll road, you have a few options for how to pay a toll road fee. These include:
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Electronic transponder
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Online registration of license plate
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Cash
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Debit or credit card
If youre wondering how to pay tolls with a rental car, you have the same payment options as listed above. The simplest option is to use the electronic transponder in your rental car, but you can also choose to use the other payment methods. See Alternatives below.
Be aware that some toll roads will only accept certain forms of payment. For example, some toll booths do not accept cash, whereas others will accept cash but not a credit or debit card. Some toll roads only accept electronic paymentsyou wont have the option to pay with cash or card.
Toll roads are typically faster and less crowded than regular highways, and they are better maintained. Toll roads are able to provide those advantages because of the extra cost to drive on them.
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How Does Ez Pass Work
EZ Pass is an integrated regional electronic toll system used in the state of New York and other states, numbering 16 in total. Currently, there are millions of motorists signed up to EZ Pass with an active account. This cashless toll system is the most convenient means of paying for tolls without wasting time in traffic lines waiting for your turn. Since the introduction of electronic EZ Pass plazas, the traffic congestion formerly plaguing interstate routes has reduced significantly and has given drivers different route options.
This electronic system also provides you with an opportunity to travel non-stop, reduce travel time, and also enjoy discounts on toll payments. You can also pay your parking tickets with EZ Pass Plus at airports or at any parking facility in New York.
Common Causes Of Toll Violations
Whenever a motorist drives through a toll booth and does not make a full payment for using the toll lane, the signpost will display a red light, and when this happens, the system will record a violation against the vehicle. Some of the most common toll violation causes are:
Also, do note that toll violation notices are recorded and issued by Vehicle Enforcement Systems to violators.
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What Happens If I’m A Resident Of Another State
If you don’t have E-ZPass and you’re driving a vehicle with license plates from another state, the registered owner of the vehicle will be billed by mail.
If you do have E-ZPass from another state all or part of 18 states offer it you can use it in New York, too. It has to be a E-ZPass, though similar transponder programs like Florida’s SunPass are not accepted in New York.
Drivers from the Canadian province of Ontario will be billed by mail. That’s new as of last year, when the Thruway Authority struck a deal with the province to provide the address of the registered vehicle owner. Prior to that, Ontario drivers were encouraged to pay their bill online, but the state had no real authority to chase them down if they didn’t.
Note that the bill will be in USD, so take that into account, Canadian drivers.
A reminder: Anyone without E-ZPass, including out-of-state drivers, can pay their toll online within 48 hours of travel before even getting a mailed bill by visiting TollsByMailNY.com.
What Happens If I’m Driving A Rental Car
Some rental-car companies equip their vehicles with E-ZPass, usually as an add-on. In that case, the rental company’s E-ZPass will be billed when you pass underneath a tolling gantry. But be careful: Sometimes using the rental company’s E-ZPass comes with a steep per-day surcharge, so it may cost you.
If there’s no E-ZPass in the rental car, a bill will be mailed to your rental car company. And you can bet they will pass the cost on to you and likely attach a surcharge, too.
The bottom line: Check your rental agreement first.
If you want to avoid a potential surcharge and pay before it gets to the rental company, you can pay your toll online at TollsByMailNY.com within 48 hours of travel.
Visit the website and click on the “Rental/Loaner Vehicle or Future Travel” button on the main screen. Then pop in your rental car’s license plate number and a form of payment and you can pay your toll.
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Paying With An Ez Pass
Paying your tolls with an EZ Pass has severaladvantages, but one of the major advantages has to do with the discount youenjoy, which may range between 30%-50% discount on toll charges. Here are theways to expedite payment using an E-Z Pass:
- Automatic Replenishment
To automatically replenish your E-Z Pass, all you have to do is simply link it to either your bank account or your credit or debit card. Having a loaded EZ Pass will help you avoid the anxiety of worrying about insufficient funds in your EZ Pass account. With this medium, your account will replenish automatically whenever the balance is low.
- Pay Per Trip
If you dontwant to link your credit or debit card or even your bank account to your E-ZPass, you can also pay for only the tolls you use per trip. To do this, simplylink your EZ Pass to your checking account, and you are good to go.
Under this plan, you enjoy toll discounts, and it does not require you to link a bank account or card to it. To avail of this opportunity, just purchase an EZ Pass tag at the nearest Customer Service Center. After making the purchase, register it, and then refill it with cash.
Agencies Handling Toll Payments
What Agency Should Be Contacted About Paying Tolls?
The agency responsible for handling your toll payment will vary from road to road. Opening each section will reveal the roads each agency supervises and payment options for the respective agency.
This resource will help you pay your tolls, whether you need to pay a toll invoice, pay for a missed toll, pay a toll violation, or even dispute a toll.
In the state of New York, the following agencies collect tolls:
The Port Authority Of New York & New Jersey is also known as The Port Authority.
Toll Payment Options For The Port Authority Of New York & New Jersey:
- P.O. Box 341
- Lawrence, New York 11559
TurnpikeInfo.com is not affiliated with any government agency. We work with government agencies to provide you accurate information. Agency contact and toll payment information is checked regularly for accuracy.
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Will Tolls Increase Is There A Cost Difference If You Don’t Have E
Thruway tolls are in line for a significant hike in 2021 if you’re not a New York-based user of E-ZPass, the multi-state program in which drivers keep a transponder in their car and have tolls automatically deducted from an account.
Tolls billed by mail would increase by 30% beginning Jan. 1 under a plan set for approval next month by the Thruway Authority Board of Directors. For out-of-state E-ZPass holders, tolls would increase by 15%.
Each mailed bill would come with a $2 surcharge under the plan, as well.
E-ZPass rates, which include a built-in discount, would remain flat for New York users. That’s in part to encourage more drivers to use the automated system and cut down on the number of bills mailed out.
That means a trip in a passenger vehicle from Exit 47 near Rochester to Exit 23 in Albany would cost $14.50 plus the $2 surcharge, up from the current $11.15 cash toll.
The standard E-ZPass toll for the same trip would remain $10.59.
Once approved, the new plan would mark the first Thruway toll increase since 2010.
How To Pay A Missed Toll In New York
Did you fail to pay a toll at any time when driving through any of New Yorks tolls? Have you missed any toll payment by accident or carelessness? If you have, there are a few ways to pay for a missed toll with an EZPassNY account before the DMV slams you with a registration suspension. Find below accurate information that will help you avoid your mistake of becoming a legal misdemeanor.
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Are There Toll Roads And Fees In Canada
Cashless Tolls – Canada
Please be aware of roads that may be “cashless tolls” and drivers on these roads are not able to pay cash once they have entered these roads. You automatically opt into our e-Toll service program and will be charged $17.00 plus GST/HST per rental, plus incurred kilometer charges and video tolls at the maximum prevailing rates posted by the toll authority. The charges may take 4-8 weeks after the rental to be billed to your billing account or credit card/debit card on file.