By: Alison Hamrah

EZ Pass And FAST LANE Are… Remarkable breakthroughs in highway travel and toll collection technologyRemarkable breakthroughs in highway travel and toll collection technology Pre-paid accounts toll accountsPre-paid accounts toll accounts Come with a transponder tag, containing and electronic chipCome with a transponder tag, containing and electronic chip Tags are Velcro-ed to car windowsTags are Velcro-ed to car windows As tag passes through toll, an antenna electronically reads the person’s account information, deducting the appropriate tollAs tag passes through toll, an antenna electronically reads the person’s account information, deducting the appropriate toll

BBoth based upon the same concept, work the same EEZ Pass is accessible in New Jersey, New York State, Delaware, Massachusetts, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland  FAST LANE on the other hand was designed specifically for the Massachusetts Turnpike, a.k.a. I-90 TTags from one another can be used in certain equipped toll facilities of each others

 Came about in the early 90’s  Governor James E. McGreevey of New Jersey was the first to announce the opening of EZ Pass in his state  Soon after many additional facilities were built  With the same problem on hand with the Massachusetts Turnpike, Massachusetts set up the FAST LANE program to provide commuters with the same benefits of EZ Pass

Methods of Setting Up An Account Visit and fill out an electronic applicationwww.ezpass.com Visit one of the many service centers Calling one of the toll free numbers AUTO-TOLL or

Individual Account: Allowed four transponder tagsAllowed four transponder tags Required to have an individually owned vehicle with two axelsRequired to have an individually owned vehicle with two axels Max gross weight of 7k lbsMax gross weight of 7k lbs Car must have single rear tires, and a car, van, pick-up truck, motorcycle or RVCar must have single rear tires, and a car, van, pick-up truck, motorcycle or RV Business Account: Unlimited amount of tagsUnlimited amount of tags must be owned or leased by a business and contain two or more axelsmust be owned or leased by a business and contain two or more axels Tractor trailers, auto transporters, pick-up trucks, buses, vans, cars and motorcyclesTractor trailers, auto transporters, pick-up trucks, buses, vans, cars and motorcycles

Saves money Applicable discounts Faster toll process Reduces traffic delays and toll congestion Decrease in fuel consumption Saves tax money Convenient

Some toll facilities provide all customers with automatic discount when they use the EZ Pass and FAST LANE toll lanes, with no special enrollment Car Pool program: Promotes the idea of “ride share” Offers tremendous discounts to motorists who travel with three of more people in their passenger vehicles The commuters receive the discount on price of tolls and benefit from a free transponder Children are considered commuters Resident Discount: Applies to residents of South Boston, East Boston, and the North End Non commercial vehicles through the Sumner/Callahan or Ted Williams Tunnels

In 1998, the use of EZ Pass increased by 35.5%, and in 2003 was bumped up to 52.4% Causing levels of traffic and toll congestion to decrease Eliminate the use of coins and tickets at tolls Today, about half of the prepaid accounts are established online, 28% at authority walk in service centers, and 22% through mail and telephone EZ Pass and FAST LANE are 100% beneficial to everyone; they save time, traffic jams, and money to build additional toll booths and highway lanes, and even offer discounts