E-ZPass Adds Monthly Accounting Fee
Jun 15th, 2009 by Alex
I’m a regular but infrequent E-ZPass user. I probably only use it once or twice a year, but when I do I rack up $30 or $40 worth of tolls across the East coast.
Back on January 5th, 2009 the Maryland Transportation Authority proposed raising toll rates for large vehicles. That doesn’t affect me so much, but they also snuck a few other things (PDF) in alongside.
Effective July 1, 2009:
- E-ZPass Account Charge: $1.50 per month per account
- E-ZPass transponder purchase for new customers and replacement devices: $21 (standard)
- Notice of Toll Due Charge: $3 + toll due
- Toll Violation Charge: increase from $15 to $25
These matters were up for public comment back in January, but absolutely nothing came of it. If there was a debate of any sort, I’d bet it didn’t satisfy anyone. The Chairman and eight Members of the Authority approved the increases anyway, expected to raise $60 million dollars annually. That money had better end up going towards maintenance of existing roads and better mass transit options, rather than building additional roads.
So it’s going to cost me $18 a year for the luxury of having E-ZPass, without even using it. I realize that the MTA has to recoup costs of maintain roads and bridges. I’m fine with paying tolls on bridges that I cross or express roads that I use, but to pay a monthly accounting fee? It isn’t like they’re sending me a monthly statement. It isn’t like my lack of usage is costing MTA any more money (by way of transactions being stored in their databases).
Yes, it’s convenient to be able to zoom through a toll booth without rolling down the window. But Maryland benefits too. It reduces congestion at major toll collection points, benefiting E-ZPass users and everyone else. We pay for that convenience through registration and automated billing (wherein our money is locked up and earning interest for Maryland as it sits dormant in our E-ZPass accounts).
I was all set to cancel it on general principle, except that it’ll cost me the equivalent of 14 months worth of account charges just to purchase a new transponder (if I ever opted to rejoin the program). I may still cancel.
I wish I had known about these changes much sooner.
One thing you can do with EZPass is “venue shop”. Unless you’re getting a steep discount from the Maryland EZPass program, you can get an EZPass from another group, like the NYS Thruway Authority that does not charge a monthly fee.
The downside is that if there is a problem wiht your EZPass tag, you have to deal with it by mail and that has to go to the NYS Thruway EZPass service center.
I still have my EZPass from the NY State Thruway authority. I could change to the New Jersey one, but they charge $1/month in fees. I could get a $1 discount on bridge tolls because I drive a hybrid car. If I drove into Philadelphia 12 times every year, it would make sense to do so. (But I don’t.)
Just what I needed, another reason to hate Maryland.
14 months isn’t that long to break even. I just need to figure out how much I still have on my account so I can pick an optimal stopping point.
Paul: I’ve thought about this. I get no discount whatsoever, plus DE and PA are close-by.
Sean: You’ll probably receive mail on the subject shortly. The one good thing is that they’re crediting your account for any deposit you paid on the transponder; that’s only fair since they’re charging full price for the replacements now.
Check out EZPass Massachusettes. I live in MD and just ordered one from MASS. There is no fee for the transponder and, currently, no monthly fee. If that changes, I’ll switch to PA, which has a $3 annual fee. MD is insane!!