Toll Road Question

[ClapYourHands]

I'm heading down this spring for a quick trip to Legoland and some non-Disney Orlando area attractions. I'm renting a car for the first time, and am wondering how the toll roads work with rentals.

From previous experience in other locations, I know car rental rates for tolls are ridiculous, and I'd like to avoid them.

Do all the toll roads have a cash option? Up here in NY/NJ you either pay by plate or have an EZ Pass, but there are no toll booths anymore.

I know I could get a transponder for Sunpass, but not sure if it's worth the hassle and up-front expense. If I can pay cash, I'd be inclined to do that.

Or, conversely, convince me that pay-by-plate with a rental car won't be too big of a financial ouch. I currently have a reservation with Budget, if that makes a difference.

 

[joelkfla]

All new toll roads, and new interchanges between existing roads, are being built without cash toll booths. The only major one I can think of in the attractions or airport area is the FL-417 & Turnpike interchange, which only collects toll in certain directions. So far, the cash option has not been removed from any existing roads or interchanges.

You can get by paying cash if you're just traveling among the airport and the major attractions, but I'm not sure you couldn't wander thru an all-electronic toll if you're driving around between minor attractions.

 

[StarSeven7]

Be aware that some of the tolls take cash but it is exact change only since the booths are unmanned! We got caught with this one time as the toll was 75 cents and we only had a $1 bill - and the machine only took coins!!! So frustrating! My mom ended up having to send a check for 75 cents!

 

[rg35]

You can get from WDW to Legoland w/o using a toll road, FWIW.

 

[seashoreCM]

Pay by plate with a rental car usually involves extra fees and with your own car in some EZ-Pass states does involve extra fees. Check the rental company rules for the exact rates and fees.

Many toll road interchanges have collection at some but not all ramps depending on where the full width booths and gantries are located.

Last I heard, Toll 417 (Greene's Way) has manual booths with change covering the whole route from the airport to the 535/536 exit that takes you right to Epcot and also quite conveniently to all points in WDW.

 

[georgina]

I'm heading down this spring for a quick trip to Legoland and some non-Disney Orlando area attractions. I'm renting a car for the first time, and am wondering how the toll roads work with rentals.

From previous experience in other locations, I know car rental rates for tolls are ridiculous, and I'd like to avoid them.

Do all the toll roads have a cash option? Up here in NY/NJ you either pay by plate or have an EZ Pass, but there are no toll booths anymore.

I know I could get a transponder for Sunpass, but not sure if it's worth the hassle and up-front expense. If I can pay cash, I'd be inclined to do that.

Or, conversely, convince me that pay-by-plate with a rental car won't be too big of a financial ouch. I currently have a reservation with Budget, if that makes a difference.

Your Budget car most likely will come with a Sunpass installed, there is a lever on it to turn it on or off. If you use it, Budget will charge you $4.95 per day of rental up to $19.95, even if you only use the Sunpass one day. I always take a roll of quarters and go to the cash lanes on the far right.

You could always set your GPS to avoid tolls and see what routes it gives. The route towards Universal (528) also has cash toll booths, and they were manned last time we went. We used the 'avoid tolls' once and it wasn't much longer a trip.

 

[Samantha Morgan]

I used my Pennsylvania EZ Pass last June with our rental car. Easy Peasy!

 

[ClapYourHands]

Your Budget car most likely will come with a Sunpass installed, there is a lever on it to turn it on or off. If you use it, Budget will charge you $4.95 per day of rental up to $19.95, even if you only use the Sunpass one day. I always take a roll of quarters and go to the cash lanes on the far right.

You could always set your GPS to avoid tolls and see what routes it gives. The route towards Universal (528) also has cash toll booths, and they were manned last time we went. We used the 'avoid tolls' once and it wasn't much longer a trip.

Thank you for your reply regarding Budget. I made this post because I remember a rental car I once had with DH that had a transponder in it. He was all ready to use it, but when I actually read the terms, I snapped the compartment shut. I think ours was a week-long rental and we were going to use it for maybe one or two tolls. When I realized we'd be charged per day, no matter if we used the pass or not, I was like, there is no way I'm paying $30 for one toll.

Good idea about avoiding toll roads with GPS. It's my first time driving in the Orlando area, and I'm going to be relying pretty heavily on GPS.

I used my Pennsylvania EZ Pass last June with our rental car. Easy Peasy!

I will probably bring my EZ pass, but my understanding is that it's only accepted on some of the toll roads. Others take only Sun Pass. I think there's a map on one of these threads that shows EZ Pass vs Sun Pass, but as I'm a newbie to Orlando driving, I'm not really sure which roads I'll be using until I get there and GPS tells me where to go. I'm glad it worked out for you, and I'll probably bring my EZ pass anyway - it certainly couldn't hurt!

 

[joelkfla]

I will probably bring my EZ pass, but my understanding is that it's only accepted on some of the toll roads. Others take only Sun Pass. I think there's a map on one of these threads that shows EZ Pass vs Sun Pass, but as I'm a newbie to Orlando driving, I'm not really sure which roads I'll be using until I get there and GPS tells me where to go. I'm glad it worked out for you, and I'll probably bring my EZ pass anyway - it certainly couldn't hurt!

There are 2 separate toll authorities that operate in Central Florida: the Florida Turnpike, which issues SunPass transponders, and CFX, which issues E-Pass transponders. Many toll roads here have some toll points operated by one, and other points by the other.

All toll facilities in the area will accept either SunPass or E-Pass transponders. But only facilities operated by CFX, signed for E-Pass, accept the multi-state E-ZPass transponders.

If you go thru a SunPass electronic-only toll point, it will not recognize your E-ZPass. If you are in a rental car, you'll be charged thru the rental company's toll plan. If you are in a rental car with a transponder, and you have switched off or shielded the transponder, the Turnpike will bill the rental company for toll-by-plate, and you will probably be hit with a large "administrative" fee by the rental company.

If you go thru an E-Pass electronic toll point with both your own E-ZPass and an unshielded active rental company transponder, you may get double-tolled. It's not supposed to happen, but sometimes it does. If the rental company transponder is switched off or in a shielded container, you should be OK.

 

[jaysmom4285]

I think that National charges a fee for use of the transponder only for the days you actually use it, so you don't have to pay for the privilege for days you aren't traveling on a toll road. At least that was the case the last I knew.

 

[Sandi]

Alamo charges $4 (plus the actual tolls) on the days you go on toll roads. I just rented from Alamo Saturday thru Wednesday and only used toll roads 2 of the days we had the car. It’s worth it to me for the convenience.

 

[Capt_BJ]

https://www.sunpass.com/en/tolls/rentalVehicles.shtml

bottom half of this long page provides info about the electronic toll programs for most major rental companies .... and they vary WIDELY.

some charge only for the days you use the program (example: National, Alamo, Enterprise)

some require you to do NOTHING up front

some require you to pay a fee for every day of your contract if you want any one day covered .....

some charge $15 PER TOLL if you encounter tolls and failed to sign up for their program in advance . . .

in the greater Orlando area cash IS ALWAYS an option but sometimes at an exit you will encounter an exact change machine ONLY. A couple of rolls of quarters will see most folks thru a typical week stay.

wrt use of EZ-PASS ... here's a map of where it is accepted
https://www.cfxway.com/wp-content/u...Map-of-CFX-Roads-Accepting-E-ZPassFinal-1.pdf

I note that on the roads where it is accepted ... it does not cover the full length of the road ......

 

[joelkfla]

in the greater Orlando area cash IS ALWAYS an option

That's no longer entirely true. As I posted above, the interchange between 417 & FL Turnpike is cashless. New roads are being built with electronic tolls only, including Poinciana Pkwy & Wekiva Pkwy.

It is true that, at this time, there is a cash option on all roads between OIA & WDW, and out to Port Canaveral, but the OP said they were planning to drive to other destinations.