Renting Car in Boston! Toll Roads

We will be renting a car in Boston after our cruise.

We will be driving to the JFK Library, Sturbridge MA then to the Poconos Mts to visit with my aunt. After that we are leaving the car at EWR before we fly home.

My question is, do the Rental Car companies give you or rent to you Some kind of instrument to cover toll roads?

Also, do any of these instruments cross state lines with toll roads?

I live in the SF Bay Area and we use Fast Trak to cover bridge tolls for all the bridge in Northern CA.

Want to prepare what charge I could get dinged with.

Thanks!

Yes, yes, and read the fine print.

Almost all rentals from D.C. to Maine will have an EZ Pass. They work from Maine to I believe North Carolina. The rental car systems are provided by a third party who will bill you for tolls plus a convenience fee, per rental day, not per day used. It's probably still worth it on your route, but be prepared...

You could theoretically get a preloaded EZ Pass and a suction cup mount (from Amazon). I don't know how easy that is to do in Boston.

You can get your own EZ pass by mail from any offering state before you travel. Some charge a deposit but Mass doesn't. That way you only pay for the tolls you incur, no surcharges at all. Allow a few weeks for this.

You can get your own EZ pass by mail from any offering state before you travel. Some charge a deposit but Mass doesn't. That way you only pay for the tolls you incur, no surcharges at all. Allow a few weeks for this.

That's good to know. I know in Virginia you have to associate it with a plate number to order one (I have one I need to return as I now only have two cars instead of three). Assume Mass is the same.

I was also going to suggest ordering a (free EZ pass) and just holding it up to your windshield as you pass through the tolls. It will work all of the way down to the Pocanos no problem as it pretty much covers the whole East coast.

That way you just pay for whatever tolls you go through directly, without having to deal with the rental car agency about the transponder.

I was also going to suggest ordering a (free EZ pass) and just holding it up to your windshield as you pass through the tolls. It will work all of the way down to the Pocanos no problem as it pretty much covers the whole East coast.

That way you just pay for whatever tolls you go through directly, without having to deal with the rental car agency about the transponder.

The Mass Pike toll booths are disappearing completely, if not completely gone by now. My husband and I were discussing exactly where the sensors might be located to register your car to charge the toll or capture license plate numbers. My "ezpass" is always mounted, but my husband puts his out on the dashboard when he goes through the phantom toll booth area. He's waiting to see if he gets any nasty grams in the mail about his recent trip to NY. Mass Pike exits 9 and 10 are now huge empty plazas with no real lane control and I was wondering if the sensors have been moved.

All of the tolls are now overhead on the Pike. No option to pay cash. Which means they added more :(

My biggest complaint, the price of the toll is different if you have a MA tag versus another state tag. No reason for that IMHO.

And for those renting cars at Logan, there is no way around it. You're going to hit a toll pretty much whichever way you go.

Thanks Everyone for your responses. This helps out allot.

All of the tolls are now overhead on the Pike. No option to pay cash. Which means they added more :(

My biggest complaint, the price of the toll is different if you have a MA tag versus another state tag. No reason for that IMHO.

"New York did it first" is as close to a reason as you'll find. We have two sets of transponders as we go to NY many times each year and swap out the Mass one for the NY one as soon as we reach the border.

I had a NJ one for years. Just switched to a ma one.

All of the tolls are now overhead on the Pike. No option to pay cash. Which means they added more :(

My biggest complaint, the price of the toll is different if you have a MA tag versus another state tag. No reason for that IMHO.

 

And for those renting cars at Logan, there is no way around it. You're going to hit a toll pretty much whichever way you go.

That's interesting. I thought part of the EZ Pass agreement was that EZ Pass tolls were EZ Pass tolls; you learn something new every day.

The Express Lanes in VA are EZ Pass only (or pay based on your plate with a significant upcharge).

My brother in law lives in NY and always used to put his transponder on his dashboard when he drove back and forth to visit family in MA, but the last time he came up the transponder didn't register and he got a paper bill. He was told that with the new overhead sensors on the Mass Pike the transponders now have to be up higher - they suggested right under the rear view mirror (which is where I have mine adhered to the windshield).

Unfortunately you aren't even going to get out of Logan without paying a toll. Welcome to Taxachusetts!

EZPass works in IL,IN,OH,PA,NY,MA,NH,ME,,NJ,DE,MD,WV, VA and NC.

Now if TX,OK,KS and FL would get onboard with them it would make my life (job) easier. :cool:

My brother in law lives in NY and always used to put his transponder on his dashboard when he drove back and forth to visit family in MA, but the last time he came up the transponder didn't register and he got a paper bill. He was told that with the new overhead sensors on the Mass Pike the transponders now have to be up higher - they suggested right under the rear view mirror (which is where I have mine adhered to the windshield).

 

Unfortunately you aren't even going to get out of Logan without paying a toll. Welcome to Taxachusetts!

If you head north from Logan there are no tolls until Hampton NH. Taxahampshire!

Perhaps this will help a bit on how mine is mounted for easy transfer among vehicles. Images of the PlatePass on the bottom.

Hertz (and other car rentals) charged $4.95 daily for the convenience of using the PlatePass, up to $24.95 maximum per contract rental period + (plus) the full cash toll rate for using PP on tolled crossings. But, it is TIME-saving to avoid & bypass the long cash toll booth, as more & more are being converted here in the N.E. region.

Our EZP is mounted with suction-cup, higher above behind the tinted windshield band, just fine & no trouble being read by all the high speed toll crossing in NY, NJ and PA.

Sent from my XT1521 using Tapatalk

Those NH tolls always kill me - and then as soon as you're through them going north you hit the Maine Turnpike one.....we are in Metro West so there's no avoiding them whenever we go into the city.

I was also going to suggest ordering a (free EZ pass) and just holding it up to your windshield as you pass through the tolls. It will work all of the way down to the Pocanos no problem as it pretty much covers the whole East coast.

That way you just pay for whatever tolls you go through directly, without having to deal with the rental car agency about the transponder.

Who gives "FREE" EZ passes? I think they all carry a monthly charge. But, it is a good idea to have one - for whenever you might find yourself driving in the East (unless, of course, you simply don't). You really do not want to pay Hertz's excessive rate for their pass.

Who gives "FREE" EZ passes? I think they all carry a monthly charge. But, it is a good idea to have one - for whenever you might find yourself driving in the East (unless, of course, you simply don't). You really do not want to pay Hertz's excessive rate for their pass.

Virginia doesn't charge a monthly fee. There's also no deposit if you link your EZ Pass to a payment method when you order it. So, yeah, some of them are free. Seems like there was an effort in Maryland a few years back to crack down on residents getting their EZ Passes in Virginia for no fee when Maryland charged. Virginia does charge if you have an EZ Pass Flex for HOV use and don't use it in HOV mode for some period of time.

We have had MA EZ Passes for years. I picked up each at the local Lexus dealership instead of driving to [MA DOT] Westboro, MA. I filled out the application, identified each plate registration to a transponder, attached a credit card to the account to "fill" the pass and allow for auto re-fills as we deplete the money - easy to do when you drive in and out of Logan Airport. There's no monthly fee associated with the passes.

If we travel outside our area and fly to VA, we take one of the transponders with us, in the secure case, and use that for toll roads.

Darcy

EZP tags sold in NY (Thruway & NYC) does not charge a monthly maintenance fee and no deposit if a credit card is used for auto-fill. It is also not required to be registered or associated with a specific license plate/tag # (or, double registered with more than 1 EZP tag).

This is being offered on *Bay - price as quoted w. free USPS shipping to US address and a $25 credit, scroll down for details & useful info. http://www.ebay.com/itm/E-ZPass-ON-THE-GO-25-REBATE-EZPass-Transponder-EZ-Pass-Tag-Express-Lanes-/201896375330?hash=item2f01f63422:g:JaEAAOSwnDxUhRD9&vxp=mtr

I've seen those eBay deals before and can't figure out what the advantage is to buying it there as opposed to getting it from the State Authority itself? It looks to me that you are spending an extra $25 here, or am I missing something?