PSA: EZPass Tip/ Warning--Dulles Toll Road/Greenway (rental car, rental)

[dkf747]

Originally Posted by NeganGrimes

I miss those days when you can drive up to an actual person and pay cash...but then again I also miss actual hotel room keys

I miss those days when there were no tolls at all. That was in a different state though.

[NC211]

I don't know about this... for that to be the reason, would mean the camera would have to locate, scan, identify and sync a car's license plate number (and state) to the make/model/color/year) of the vehicle itself and then to the serial number the transponder was beaming to be reader, all in a split second every time to confirm. I just don't see that as plausible. What happens if the tag is dirty, or at an angle the camera could see, or....

I think your battery might've just been getting low on the transponder and wasn't beaming the code far enough to be picked up by the reader, enhanced by speed as well.

I recently bought a new transponder for a 3 car I had just purchased. Bought it at my local Giant store. I don't recall the application asking me to give a tag number or anything car related. Just to set up auto payment via linking to credit card via online...

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by dkf747

I just can't see you as a Taylor Swift fan.

Actually I'm not. Give me 70's country and I'm happy.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by NC211

I don't know about this... for that to be the reason, would mean the camera would have to locate, scan, identify and sync a car's license plate number (and state) to the make/model/color/year) of the vehicle itself and then to the serial number the transponder was beaming to be reader, all in a split second every time to confirm. I just don't see that as plausible. What happens if the tag is dirty, or at an angle the camera could see, or....

I think your battery might've just been getting low on the transponder and wasn't beaming the code far enough to be picked up by the reader, enhanced by speed as well.

I recently bought a new transponder for a 3 car I had just purchased. Bought it at my local Giant store. I don't recall the application asking me to give a tag number or anything car related. Just to set up auto payment via linking to credit card via online...

So you're saying you think the EZPass customer service was wrong?

The camera already grabs the plate, for every car. Obviously our plates changed when we changed cars. So the system already can see that it's a different plate for that transponder. I think the make/model/color is just for additional confirmation. Or if someone steals your transponder and plate but not the car. Probably not common, but I'm sure it happens.

I'm just surprised it took over 2 years with a new plate for it to get flagged.

[NC211]

I don't know, just seems like an awful lot of technology that doesn't seem to be needed for them to collect their money. If the transponder goes missing or stolen, they could always say it's your responsibility to let them know so they can turn off it's unique identifier number in the system. If they've got that technology and using it, that's great, but maybe I'm showing my age here in thinking that's a bit "mission impossible"-ish for just a toll reader.

I do know that my Illinois "i-pass" reader will still work to this very day, nearly 6 years after escaping Chicago (and 4 cars ago).

But either way, I updated my account today just to be safe. Lord knows you never want to be "that person" who has the express lanes jammed up because your transponder failed to work. Think we've all been there at least once, and man does it stink!

[NeganGrimes]

Originally Posted by spencgr

You can do that at every, single, toll booth on the DTR. You don't have to miss anything.

Yeah but it's usually just one or two guys, and they're always grumpy. There was a time when every booth was manned by an actual person, and some of them were even friendly

[BarqCider]

you know, there is literally someone at VDOT who takes a look at the pictures, and types int he licenses into a system. Usually the ones the camera could not automatically pick up on and enter automatically.

now i forget if this just applied to cars who did not pay (im leaning to yes) or all vehicles.

[Carlingtonian]

I was told by EZPass that sometimes if the plate or vehicle is not in the system and linked to that transponder, it won't take the payment. I again had the transponder on the dash and had plenty of money in the account. I think the plate/unit check must at random, or perhaps it's after a certain period.

Yes, probably a human who verifies the mismatch-caused non-payments. I know USPS has people to decipher unclear handwritten addresses the computer couldn't figure out.

BTW, the customer service people are super nice. They clearly are somewhere in-state. You don't even get put on hold!

[spencgr]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

I was told by EZPass that sometimes if the plate or vehicle is not in the system and linked to that transponder, it won't take the payment. I again had the transponder on the dash and had plenty of money in the account. I think the plate/unit check must at random, or perhaps it's after a certain period. It would have to be an automated process, because we're talking about 2 seconds to scan tag and transponder. No human is that fast.

BTW, the customer service people are super nice. They clearly are somewhere in-state. You don't even get put on hold!

So, are you allowed to link one transponder to multiple vehicles?

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by spencgr

So, are you allowed to link one transponder to multiple vehicles?

Yes; we have two units and three vehicles. Either unit can be used in any of our vehicles. You can even add the vehicle of someone in a different household--e.g., someone you carpool with or a relative who doesn't have their own EZPass account.