EZ Pass Fees Will Rise

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is doubling the EZ Pass transponder fee from $3 a year to $6 a year, effective January 1st . EZ Pass customers set up prepaid accounts and mount transponders inside their windshields that make electronic deductions so they don’t have to stop at toll or ticket booths.

EZ Pass is good in fourteen states, and this is the first fee increase since the Pennsylvania system began in 2000, according to Turnpike spokesperson Carl DeFebo. He says it’s still a reasonable fee since people who sign up in some other states pay 12 to 18 dollars a year.

To sweeten the pill, when tolls go up on January 2nd, DeFebo says tolls for EZ Pass customers will go up only 3%, compared to %10 for cash customers. The toll savings will more than offset the fee increase for many, he says.

People who sign up before January 1st will pay just the $3 fee until their annual renewal in 2011. Most people set up their EZ Pass accounts at paturnpike.com, according to DeFebo, but it can be done at some Getgo stations, at Giant Eagle markets and AAA offices.