E-ZPASS in Florida - update

[Capt_BJ]

from the Central Florida Expressway System (greater Orlando less the turnpike) website

The E-ZPass Group, a consortium of toll roads and bridges across the eastern United States, announced today that the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) will be the first toll agency in Florida to accept E-ZPass for payment of tolls on designated Florida toll roads owned and operated by CFX in the Metro Orlando region.

Beginning in early Spring 2018, the more than 35 million E-ZPass customers in 16 states — from Maine to North Carolina and west through Illinois — will experience the convenience of nonstop travel in Metro Orlando without fumbling for change at toll gantries.

no specific date tho ....

 

[Glenn&Sharon]

from the Central Florida Expressway System (greater Orlando less the turnpike) website

The E-ZPass Group, a consortium of toll roads and bridges across the eastern United States, announced today that the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) will be the first toll agency in Florida to accept E-ZPass for payment of tolls on designated Florida toll roads owned and operated by CFX in the Metro Orlando region.

Beginning in early Spring 2018, the more than 35 million E-ZPass customers in 16 states — from Maine to North Carolina and west through Illinois — will experience the convenience of nonstop travel in Metro Orlando without fumbling for change at toll gantries.

no specific date tho ....

Great news! Thanks.

For those of us not so familiar with the area, here is a link to a map
https://www.cfxway.com/for-travelers/

 

[joelkfla]

The problem is that Orlando area toll roads have a mix of CFX-operated toll booths and FL Turnpike-operated toll booths.

Traveling between WDW and OIA on 417, you're EZ-pass will work (after the change has been implemented). But if you make the trip on 528, it probably won't. And to make it even more confusing, if you get off 528 before the airport (e.g. for an off-site car rental), you may go thru an exit toll which is CFX. After passing the airport on 528, the toll booths east to Cocoa and KSC are CFX.

429 from WDW north to the Turnpike (and on to Apopka) is CFX, but if you go south to 192 & I-4, that's Turnpike. On 417, if you go west from I-Drive to I-4, or north to Sanford airport, you'll encounter some Turnpike toll booths.

Drivers using EZ-pass will have to carefully watch the signs approaching the tolls. If they say E-Pass, you're good to go; if they say Sunpass, you're EZ-pass won't work (until the Turnpike joins up with EZ-pass.)

As before, E-Pass (CFX) transponders will work at Sunpass toll points, and Sunpass transponders will work at E-Pass toll points.

 

[georgina]

Thanks for the detailed information, joelkfla. I think I will still bring my quarters for my April trip, and watch to see what happens for any future trips.

 

[goofy4tink]

Looks like I'll just keep using my Sunpass while in Fl! Way too much of a headache to figure out when my EZ Pass will work down there.

 

[erionm]

Beginning in early Spring 2018, the more than 35 million E-ZPass customers in 16 states — from Maine to North Carolina and west through Illinois — will experience the convenience of nonstop travel in Metro Orlando without fumbling for change at toll gantries.

The last email exchange (in June) I had with CFX says they are targeting late August 2018 for E-PASS/E-ZPASS interoperability.

CFX will also be offering a transponder that's E-ZPASS compatible at some point in the near future. The only out of state toll systems the current E-PASS transponders work on are GA (Peach Pass) and NC (Quick Pass).

 

[sam_gordon]

OK, I'm thinking ahead...

We're driving from Kentucky to Disney in December. When we went last year, we did the cash lanes on the turnpike. But I like the idea of staying at full speed for this year's trip. So what would you recommend I get? Sunpass? EZ Pass? Something else? If I can use it on that express area south of Atlanta, all the better.

We also traveled on Poinciana Pkwy (my parents live in Solivita) which has no cash lanes, just pay by plate, and we still haven't gotten a bill for.

 

[joelkfla]

OK, I'm thinking ahead...

We're driving from Kentucky to Disney in December. When we went last year, we did the cash lanes on the turnpike. But I like the idea of staying at full speed for this year's trip. So what would you recommend I get? Sunpass? EZ Pass? Something else? If I can use it on that express area south of Atlanta, all the better.

We also traveled on Poinciana Pkwy (my parents live in Solivita) which has no cash lanes, just pay by plate, and we still haven't gotten a bill for.

If you're driving your own car, you can get an E-Pass sticker for free, or the portable for $10 (half the cost of the SunPass portable.) You would need to leave the sticker version permanently attached to your windshield. The E-Pass web site isn't as smooth and doesn't seem to be set up to handle adding and removing rental cars as easily as SunPass, but it's fine if you're just using your own car.

E-Pass works everywhere that SunPass works. The transponders currently being sold do not work with other states' E-ZPass, and CFX has not announced when compatible transponders will be available nor how much they will cost.

 

[sam_gordon]

If you're driving your own car, you can get an E-Pass sticker for free, or the portable for $10 (half the cost of the SunPass portable.) You would need to leave the sticker version permanently attached to your windshield. The E-Pass web site isn't as smooth and doesn't seem to be set up to handle adding and removing rental cars as easily as SunPass, but it's fine if you're just using your own car.

E-Pass works everywhere that SunPass works. The transponders currently being sold do not work with other states' E-ZPass, and CFX has not announced when compatible transponders will be available nor how much they will cost.

We will be driving our own car, but I'm thinking a portable in case we change cars or we have to get a rental. I looked in Publix when I was down last week and the portable was $20 (or maybe that was a Sunpass?).

 

[Lynne G]

Thank you for this!

While I have an EZ pass, I also have a Sun Pass. Since I am going at the end of August, I think I will just stick with my Sun Pass. Coming again in October, so will check and see if rather take my EZ pass.

 

[yaya74]

Is E-Zpass accepted now on 417??

 

[erionm]

Is E-Zpass accepted now on 417??

E-ZPASS is NOT yet accepted in FL. When it is later this summer, it will only work on part of SR-417.

The roads in purple in the map linked to below are owned by CFX and those will be the only roads where E-ZPASS will be accepted.

https://www.cfxway.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/System-Map-for-Brochure-04-11-18.pdf

Roads owned by the FL Dept of Transportation (which operates SunPass) will NOT accept E-ZPASS.

 

[erionm]

While I have an EZ pass, I also have a SunPass. Since I am going at the end of August, I think I will just stick with my SunPass. Coming again in October, so will check and see if rather take my EZ pass.

Toll roads operated by CFX (which display E-PASS logo) will accept E-ZPASS (later this summer).

Toll roads operated by the FL Dept of Transportation (which operates SunPass) will NOT accept E-ZPASS.

 

[Lynne G]

Thanks Michael. Guess I will just stick with my Sun Pass, as I keep it in my luggage, ready to go when I travel in FLA. It is nice, they are working on having one pass to use on the entire east coast.

I even used my sun pass in Miami last year. Noted I had to pay a bit more I tolls than the other local pass, but it made not having to stop, and still save over cash toll.

Why I bought the removable Sun Pass years ago. Easy to add and delete the rental or in my own cars.

 

[joelkfla]

We will be driving our own car, but I'm thinking a portable in case we change cars or we have to get a rental. I looked in Publix when I was down last week and the portable was $20 (or maybe that was a Sunpass?).

That was SunPass, which is run by the Turnpike Enterprise. The E-Pass is run by the local toll agency, CFX, and the portable is $10. It's not sold in stores, but can be ordered online, and also purchased at a few toll plazas, including the John Young Pkwy plaza on 417. The two are functionally equivalent in FL, GA, and NC, but have different websites and cash funding methods. E-Pass also has additional discounts for high volume users of Orlando area toll roads, but a visitor would never reach the threshold for those discounts.

 

[klo1335]

The roads in purple in the map linked to below are owned by CFX and those will be the only roads where E-ZPASS will be accepted.

This this will be ready by November? Would love to just pack my ez-pass to use on the routes it is accepted.

 

[erionm]

This this will be ready by November? Would love to just pack my ez-pass to use on the routes it is accepted.

It's possible that E-PASS/E-ZPASS interoperability will be available by November. CFX is currently saying 'Late Summer' (delayed from Spring).

 

[richmo]

This this will be ready by November? Would love to just pack my ez-pass to use on the routes it is accepted.

I'd check back closer to your trip. This was supposed to happen a year or two ago, then this spring, now fall. There's been delay after delay...

 

[katallo]

Definitely check closer to your trip. Living in an EZ Pass state there is no mention of it being accepted in FL. It really has been one delay after another. We bought a Sunpass a few years ago.

 

[erionm]

The official announcement came out in Nov 2017 with a target of Late 2018, so technically no delays.

November 9, 2017

The E-ZPass Group, a consortium of toll roads and bridges across the eastern United States, announced today that the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) will be the first toll agency in Florida to accept E-ZPass for payment of tolls on designated Florida toll roads owned and operated by CFX in the Metro Orlando region.

By late 2018, the more than 35 million E-ZPass customers in 16 states — from Maine to North Carolina and west through Illinois — will experience the convenience of nonstop travel in Metro Orlando without fumbling for change at toll gantries.

https://www.cfxway.com/agency-infor...ida-expressway-authority-joins-e-zpass-group/