Starting January, anyone who fails to own an individual transponder for each registered I-PASS car will have their tolls doubled.
This change is happening due to the fact that I-PASS users register multiple cars on their account, but do not have separate transponders for each individual vehicle. When drivers cross the I-PASS plazas with no transponder but are registered for an I-PASS account, their account needs to be looked up. According to Northern Public Radio, “When this occurs, the tollway matches license plates with registered vehicles, and then charges the appropriate I-PASS account…this process is expensive and cumbersome.”
(Courtesy of DailyHerald)
The Illinois Tollway is cracking down on people that do not obey this. They want the public to make the switch and to eventually have everyone to have an I-PASS account and transponder for every vehicle. To avoid a hassle, the Illinois Tollway has come up with a proposal that benefits the drivers in the long run.
This proposal includes a discount for I-PASS customers who drive through toll plazas. This discount would knock the I-PASS rate down by half the price (ex: a toll that’s $1.50 for cash rate is just 0.75 cents for an I-PASS account holder). On top of getting a discount, the price of a transponder for each vehicle will only be a refundable $10 charge credited to their account. Account holders with multiple transponders will also be able to pay from a sole balance. Not only will it benefit the drivers, but the agency expects to raise somewhere near $15 million in extra revenue by doing so.
Although this seems like a great proposal, there are still people who are not convinced. According to DailyHerald, “some resent paying extra deposits for transponders; others say they don’t use toll roads enough to justify it.”
Whatever the case may be, the change for every car needing its’ own transponder is coming.
To find out more about how to obtain a transponder visit www.illinoistollway.com or call 800-824-7277.