Beware ! Cashless Toll Roads in Florida

[dst]

The windshield mount transponder they sell now with the suction cups no longer beeps or tells you anything. It just sits there.

 

They don't sell the one with the light and buzzer (Type IIe) anymore. The white one with the LCD was also discontinued the second or third year it was out.

 

Really - we did not buy ours that long ago and it beeps once if it has taken the toll and two/three times when balance is low. Not to mention the actual toll will tell you if you have a low balance

 

WOW - I like ours, we often let friends use it when visiting.....

[BlueHerons]

Going from Orlando to Port Canaveral your exits and toll booths will all be manned expect for one on SR-528 where you'll have no reason to exit. Nothing there except a prison; not even a gas station.

 

Don't sweat it, but having a roll of quarters might speed things up so you can use the exact change lanes.

 

 

Don't toll roads have to have the highway/road number sign in green as opposed to white for a state highway and blue and red for federal interstates?

[miamiyogi]

Don't toll roads have to have the highway/road number sign in green as opposed to white for a state highway and blue and red for federal interstates?

 

Good One BH! Yeppers you are right.

 

Toll road:

 

 

 

Interstate:

 

 

US Highway:

 

 

State Road:

 

 

And my favorite! CRUISE SHIP!!!!! -

 

 

 

[miamiyogi]

Really - we did not buy ours that long ago and it beeps once if it has taken the toll and two/three times when balance is low. Not to mention the actual toll will tell you if you have a low balance

 

WOW - I like ours, we often let friends use it when visiting.....

 

Yeah I know- trust me, I just replaced my wife's...I actually called to complain the thing wasn't beeping, I was told that what happens is the balance is now being stored in the system and not on the transponder. Hence the transponder doesn't know anything--- it just reports to the gantry that you are account 123456. If the gantry doesn't pick up the signal, the system will get your account from the tag (assuming you registered the tag to the Sunpass account *VERY IMPORTANT to do so*)

 

I did like when it would tell me low balance, so I had to set her account to just auto replenish when the balance goes under $10.

[alphakitty]

After all is said and done, we'll be traveling a lot on toll roads and have decided to just pay the 6.99 flat rate fee (renting from Dollar), for the 3 days we'll have the rental car. However, it pays to note that Florida's intention is to go totally cashless in the next few years.

[zgwortz]

I was driving the Florida Turnpike north of Orlando back in November, and saw lots of signs indicating that it was in the process of going cashless and would be entirely cashless by sometime in February of this year.

[KatnipKris]

Something very similar happened to us in November. We are from Ohio and rented a car from Thirfty (which is also Dollar car rental). We rented the car for one day from Fort Myers one way to Miami. We were offered the Sun Pass for the car for a price of under $10.00 (can't remember the exact price) good for unlimited use of toll roads. I turned it down thinking our tolls would only be around $4.00 and I would pay myself.

 

We paid for all tolls exept for one that was for .25 cents. We had exact change so went to the left line as marked for the correct change. What happened was when we went left it turned out to be for the Sun Pass sticker cars. It was too late and we drove through the .25cent toll without paying.

 

The guy who took the car when I returned it told me to be sure to say something at the counter so I would not get fines for not paying the toll. When I told the counter guy basically told me too bad you should have bought the Sun Pass option. I then went into the airport at the car rental desk and checked with them and was told the same thing. I then luckily saw the original Thifty agent that I turned the car in and told him what happened. He recommended for me to go back and ask for the manager. I did that and the manager left me buy the original Sun Pass option for the $10.00 extra cost. So basically the .25cent toll cost me an extra $10.00, an extra hour of wasted time and and lot of stress.

 

If I had to do it over again I would have just bought the Sun Pass though the car company to begin with. When you turn it down you have to initial the contract that it was offered and you turned it down, plus you will be responsible for all fines with penalty if you go though any tolls without paying. You are thinking of course I will pay the tolls, not thinking that they will have bad signage or perhaps no signage at all.

[Lady Lucy]

We're renting from Hertz in Fort Lauderdale and driving about mid-way down the Keys and back the next day. Can anyone give me advice as to the easiest thing to do regarding the tolls? I'm so confused! Thank you so much!

[NoWhiners]

OK, I grew up in NYC and get tolls. Now i am starting to worry, so need some advice from Florida locals.

 

We will rent a car at MCO pre-cruise, see Universal and other things in Orlando, then drive down to FLL. We will use I95 but will we have any problems getting to it in Orlando or exiting in FLL? I would be happy to pay Alamo whatever they want for SunPass but only if we have to have it. We have driven this in the past, but basically followed A1A for cost of it to see the ocean.

 

Any tips welcome.

 

Thanks you guys,

ML

[lightsleeper]

Renting car at Miami airport and driving to Fort Lauderdale on the Interstate..

Should I be concerned about tolls?

[DanJ]

Renting car at Miami airport and driving to Fort Lauderdale on the Interstate..

Should I be concerned about tolls?

 

No tolls to worry about there. Just make sure you end up on 95 north of Miami where the turnpike splits off to the left. 95 stays right going northbound.

Edited January 16, 2011 by DanJ

[gwrod]

Looking for help from locals in Florida...it is my understanding that renting a car in Orlando and taking the Beachline expressway, tolls can be paid at toll booths. Going down to Miami to return the rental car on a Sunday is no tolls on I95, but how about the airport expressway going to the rental car returns?

 

Thanks,

Bill

[AudenHoggart]

Here is Sunpass' description of how cashless tolls work with the major car rental companies. Scroll down to see the full list of companies. As you'll see, Dollar and Thrifty have the highest charges, and Alamo has the lowest. I can confirm from the car rentals before and after our cruise last month that Alamo works as advertised.

 

https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar

Edited February 6, 2012 by AudenHoggart

[dpump]

Washington State just implemented a cashless toll (bridge) road. If you don't have a pass on your car, you will receive a bill with a handling service charge, but certainly nothing like $152!

Like $5 + $3 maybe. I'd be pursuing that charge. Then again, the car rental agencies are becoming the 'devil' with all their shenanigans they've been pulling.

[dpump]

Reading through these posts, what bothers me is that every time I rent a car at MCO (I go to Orlando about 3-4x a year), I'm offered the sunpass for $5 (I think) a day. The only time I utilize the toll roads is going to and from the airport. What a profitable business those passes are (about as bad as red light cameras). Think of all those folks going to Walt Disney World, Universal, etc for a week, 10 days and get suckered into the sunpass at $5 a day and only really need it to and from the airport. Should be illegal.

[AudenHoggart]

The enormous variation in fees by car rental company should be much more prominently noted - on contracts and in advertising before signing. See my earlier post with the link to Sunpass that sets these charges out. There's absolutely no reason to pass for the Sunpass feature for every day of the rental unless that's what you need. There are plenty of companies that charge the actual tolls plus two to three dollars per day for the days of usage, but not for other days. Alamo caps the fee at a maximum of six dollars for the entire rental period.

[gwrod]

Do I need a Sunpass to get out of MCO in a rental car and go east on the Beachline Express way or can tolls be paid?

 

Thanks,

Bill

[Gathina]

The rental car companies aren't stupid..why would they do THAT?

 

They expect people to read the "fine print"...knowing that most people do not.

 

The enormous variation in fees by car rental company should be much more prominently noted - on contracts and in advertising before signing. See my earlier post with the link to Sunpass that sets these charges out. There's absolutely no reason to pass for the Sunpass feature for every day of the rental unless that's what you need. There are plenty of companies that charge the actual tolls plus two to three dollars per day for the days of usage, but not for other days. Alamo caps the fee at a maximum of six dollars for the entire rental period.

[seamonkey]

Do I need a Sunpass to get out of MCO in a rental car and go east on the Beachline Express way or can tolls be paid?

 

Thanks,

Bill

 

At this time there is ONE toll $1.25 on the Beachline ....Rt 528....from the airport.

 

They are almost done building another closer to the Cape... don't know when it will open but pretty soon.

 

They have booths at both of them.

 

Those who live around the area know how to get around most of the toll booths around Orlando IF they have time but not on 528

 

Alas I also have to use a transponder for picking up and dropping off family at the airport.

 

UNLESS the TAG of the car you are using is registered with the Sun pass... you will probably get fined.

So this is one consideration when renting and purchasing the pass.

 

Make SURE the tag is registered by the rental company and you should get it in writing.

 

People need to squawk at the Florida AG about getting ripped off.

 

http://myfloridalegal.com/contact

 

She's really great at ripoffs.

[gwrod]

At this time there is ONE toll $1.25 on the Beachline ....Rt 528....from the airport.

 

They are almost done building another closer to the Cape... don't know when it will open but pretty soon.

 

They have booths at both of them.

 

Those who live around the area know how to get around most of the toll booths around Orlando IF they have time but not on 528

 

Alas I also have to use a transponder for picking up and dropping off family at the airport.

 

UNLESS the TAG of the car you are using is registered with the Sun pass... you will probably get fined.

So this is one consideration when renting and purchasing the pass.

 

Make SURE the tag is registered by the rental company and you should get it in writing.

 

People need to squawk at the Florida AG about getting ripped off.

 

http://myfloridalegal.com/contact

 

She's really great at ripoffs.

 

 

...thanks for the help, but if I pay the tolls at the toll booths on 528 I don't need to worry about the tag in the car, correct? Or is another option, I buy a transponder and register it to my rental car and go that way?

Thanks again, but this technology is sure changing things.

 

Bill

[seamonkey]

...thanks for the help, but if I pay the tolls at the toll booths on 528 I don't need to worry about the tag in the car, correct? Or is another option, I buy a transponder and register it to my rental car and go that way?

Thanks again, but this technology is sure changing things.

 

Bill

 

 

 

Correct.

 

You only need to worry about the TAG registry IF you are NOT using the toll booth

 

OR

 

If you are using a cashless toll exit.

 

There are none that you would use on 528 to get to the port.

 

Stay to the ...Far right.... about 5 miles after you enter 528.

 

You will see signs to warn you of the toll 2 miles from the booth.

 

Be aware of the speed limit.

 

It changes after I-95 to 65......Then drops to 55....As you exit 528 it drops to 45 and the police are everywhere making cruise addicts miserable before and after their cruise.

 

There is a photo red light camera light enforcement in front of Publix another 5 miles down A-1-A.

 

Beware of that.

Edited February 8, 2012 by seamonkey

[sunny delight]

I just want to be sure I understand this whole toll stuff. We will be driving down next week from Atlanta, stopping for the night in Orlando. When I checked on the sunpass website I determined it was cheaper to just pay the tolls roundtrip. I have no idea what route we are taking from Orlando, just following the GPS! I do know we were on the turnpike on our last trip to Orlando which is tolls.

 

So....what is the quickest route and how much should I expect in tolls? Thanks!

[seamonkey]

I just want to be sure I understand this whole toll stuff. We will be driving down next week from Atlanta, stopping for the night in Orlando. When I checked on the sunpass website I determined it was cheaper to just pay the tolls roundtrip. I have no idea what route we are taking from Orlando, just following the GPS! I do know we were on the turnpike on our last trip to Orlando which is tolls.

 

So....what is the quickest route and how much should I expect in tolls? Thanks!

 

 

I don't know where you're headed in Orlando.

 

Orlando roads are like you threw spaghetti at a wall.

 

It's mainly because of all the small lakes.

 

These might help you a bit ........

 

http://www.orlando-maps.info/

 

http://www.floridasturnpike.com/about_system.cfm

 

http://www.floridasturnpike.com/maps/UpdatedMaps2011/Western_Beltway.pdf

 

http://www.floridasturnpike.com/maps/UpdatedMaps2011/Mainline.pdf

[gwrod]

Thank you Seamonkey...Do you know anything about the toll set-up on the airport expressway in Miami going from I-95 to the MIAMI airport, still toll booths?

 

Thanks again,

 

Bill

Edited February 9, 2012 by gwrod

[seamonkey]

It's been a long time since we lived in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

We now live in Cocoa Beach about 2 miles south of the inlet.

 

I understand that there is one toll.

 

Here are a few maps I consider pretty good of the area.

 

One is information on the turnpike which you didn't ask for.

 

I hope it helps you.

 

 

http://www.miami-mia.com/maps.php

 

http://miami.about.com/od/transportation/a/driving_in_miami.htm

 

http://www.aaccessmaps.com/show/map/US/FL/miami_metro

 

http://turnpikeinfo.com/

 

Florida 112/Airport Expressway is not part of Interstate 195 because Interstate funding for that freeway was not available. Rather than wait for more Interstate money, the city and state decided to build the route to allow for needed access between the airport and the beaches. As a result......

 

....It was built and funded as a.... toll road

 

 

The Airport Expressway (Florida 112) is a six- to eight-lane freeway from Miami International Airport (MIA) east to Interstate 95 and Interstate 195 for a distance of 5.4 miles.

 

 

The Interstate 95/Florida 836 interchange is a four...level stack, but all four flyover ramps all have left lane exits, which makes the connection difficult for slower vehicles such as trucks and out of staters.

 

Ohhh I just noticed where you're from.

 

I know the area.

 

Are you coming down I-77?

Edited February 9, 2012 by seamonkey