How accurate is the toll calculator on the Pennsylvania Turnpike EZ Pass website?

Submitted by 400milliondollars t3_zv6uti in Pennsylvania

I input my start point and end destination and the calculator said that with a transponder it would be $2.50 each way vs no transponder (toll by plate) for $5.00 each way. I have a transponder but it seems to have charged me $5.00 each way anyway. I have their app and they seem to have picked up my transponder since it was listed next to each charge.

I just moved here so my transponder is new to me. Does this sound like my transponder not on? or is the calculator on the website just not accurate?

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colormeslowly t1_j1nlxs4 wrote

When I got my ezpass, the rep said it can be anywhere in the car & it would be read when i go through a booth.

I registered the transponder & got the app too. Placed the transponder in my glove box because I didn’t want anyone to steal it.

And away I go. Toll after toll. Then Toll by plate invoices came in one by one. $140 total, i kept calling customer service they’d correct it, giving me ez pass rate. Then one smart customer service rep asked:

“where is your ez pass?

The glove box!

“Oh no, it has to be mounted on windshield, behind rear view mirror.” She said.

Problem solved.

The transponder is “turned on” once it’s registered with ezpass and it has to be properly mounted in car to be read.

I’m not saying you didn’t do this, just sharing my experience.

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gldfshcracker t1_j1qeha3 wrote

Not sure about E-ZPass specifically, but some toll pass boxes will get blocked if your semi truck has a metal visor.

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petefromeastpete t1_j1nime7 wrote

Is there a V-TOLL charge showing? That’s the indication they use if the transponder can’t be read but they match your license plate number (which is different from roll by plate because you have an account, but the transponder didn’t read, and is charged a penalty).

They set the rates, it’s not like some third party has to update the website six months later, and I’ve always seen it be accurate so I figure there’s something else. Is there a chance you put the wrong entry or exit point — some of them are confusing in the web page. V-TOLL seems most likely to me although I don’t remember the rate for that off hand.

They’re generally helpful and friendly, you could give them a call after the holiday and talk to someone even if it’s just to get clarification about what happened so you can prevent it in the future.

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joestrumbummer t1_j1ogqli wrote

Sometimes the transponder can crap out and you have to get a new one. I found out due to getting toll bills in the mail when I had a transponder, but this was pre-covid so they weren't automatically linking the plate number to the transponder for V-Toll on the E-ZPass statement. I also had an out-of-state transponder (Mass Pass) and didn't have to change it until it stopped registering years after moving back to PA.

You can contact them to make sure it's being read accurately and have them tell you what the correct toll should be. Then you'll be able to figure out if it was the transponder or calculator.

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[deleted] t1_j1nx3jb wrote

Is your transponder from Pennsylvania? If it from a different state, maybe that could be the issue.

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Redbadger22 t1_j1onf9v wrote

It doesn't matter for the Pennsylvania Turnpike, any EZPass gets the discounted rate.

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NewYork_NewJersey440 t1_j25yf7y wrote

This is correct. For all the things PA Turnpike does wrong, “transponder discrimination” is not one of them. Someone with an Ohio Turnpike EZPass pays the same $1.70 I do to cross the Susquehanna. Unlike some other states NEW YORK an EZPass is an EZPass here.

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MomsSpecialFriend t1_j1qraaj wrote

I called to just get my total bill and they dropped half of the balance during the conversation. I bet you can get this fixed.

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