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i-Zoom logo from 2007 until September 2012

The Indiana Toll Road uses the E-ZPass system for electronic toll collection which is also usable on the ITR's adjacent sister road, the Chicago Skyway. On June 27, 2007, the system was implemented from mile 1 to mile 23 of the road under the unique branding of i-Zoom, which was fully compatible with E-ZPass and the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority's I-Pass system; the remaining toll plazas came online on April 1, 2008, with increased cash toll rates. i-Zoom transponders were then made available for purchase at service plazas and CVS/pharmacy locations in northern Indiana.[1] As of September 2012, the i-Zoom branding was retired by the ITR for the universal E-ZPass branding used by most states in the E-ZPass system; outside of the implementation of a transponder with a smaller form factor and the removal of the i-Zoom logo from post-September 2012 transponder units, along with a website upgrade in 2014, no other changes to transponders or accounts are planned.

Compatibility with intrastate toll systems

The Indiana E-ZPass system is compatible with both the ISTHA's I-Pass and the E-ZPass systems used throughout the Eastern Seaboard states, and by the neighboring Ohio Turnpike, which opened their E-ZPass system at the beginning of September 2009.[2] The Indiana Toll Road and the ISTHA entered into a reciprocal agreement whereby holders of either the i-Zoom or I-Pass receive a discount on tolls in either state, as well as E-ZPass users,[citation needed] and it is likewise the case between the ITR and Ohio Turnpike Commission.[3] Toll discounts are currently not offered with electronic tolling on the Skyway. The discount to I-Pass users is subsidized by the State of Indiana rather than by the ITR's operator.[4]

There are issues with the reciprocal use of I-PASS by Illinois motorists and E-ZPass Indiana motorists on the other state's toll road. Each state charges the other a transaction fee when the out-of-state transponder is used to pay a toll. About 70 percent of all electronic transactions on the ITR are done with I-PASS transponders, according to Illinois Tollway Authority figures. Until January 1, 2010, the fee was absorbed, with I-PASS users paying twice as many Indiana tolls as E-ZPass Indiana users paying Illinois tolls. To address this imbalance, the ITR began charging E-ZPass Indiana users a 3¢ surcharge on each of their Indiana Toll Road tolls, effective January 1, 2010.[4] The ITR has signage which states the Illinois Tollway is charging the additional fee to I-PASS users, but this is incorrect since the Illinois Tollway is only able to charge tolls or fees on Illinois Tollways.[5] The 3¢ surcharge, rather, was a business decision by ITR Concession Company, the private company that operates the Indiana Toll Road, to recoup money lost as a result of the Illinois Tollway billing the ITRCC for a variety of customer service costs and the uneven amount of electronic transactions in the two states.[4][5]

Purchasing and care

As of 2012, while the ITR encouraged users to either purchase an E-ZPass ITR transponder or to move their business from the I-Pass system, the cost of a transponder was $10, with that price (or $8 of it if bought via retail) immediately credited as a starting balance for the tag. Due to the low price and pre-paid deposit amount, Indiana's implementation is the lowest-priced transponder currently in the E-ZPass system.[6] If users of both the I-Pass and Indiana's E-ZPass systems have both transponders, unshielded, in their vehicle, the system will charge a toll on both devices—double payment—at a toll plaza; the storage bag which comes in the device's welcome kit is metallic and acts as a Faraday cage if one of the transponders is kept in it, preventing it from incorrectly being detected by the toll plaza's system.

See also

References

  1. ^ Pierce, Martt (April 11, 2008). "Use iZoom and pay pre-April 1, 2008 toll rates: Transponders Available for Purchase at Travel Plazas" (PDF) (Press release). Indiana Toll Road Concession Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 14, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
  2. ^ Staff (n.d.). "EZPass FAQ". Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  3. ^ i-Zoom Newsletter. Indiana Toll Road. October 2009. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[full citation needed]
  4. ^ a b c Benman, Keith (December 5, 2009). "3-Penny Drama Plays Out on Indiana Toll Road". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Muenster, IN. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
  5. ^ a b Staff (n.d.). "ITR Customer Q&A" (PDF). Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 2, 2011.
  6. ^ Staff (n.d.). "Get Your iZoom for Only $10" (PDF). Indiana Toll Road Concession Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 14, 2012.
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