EZ Pass Review

As I mentioned in my review on the Starbucks at Trump Plaza Boardwalk, this past Sunday, I drove up to Philadelphia and Atlantic City. The trip brought back memories when my travel friend Harvey and I drove to Atlantic City and stay at least 1 night at the Trump Taj Mahal. The drive ended being an adventure as neither of us were prepared for all the toll roads we hit going to and coming back from Atlantic City. Repeatedly, we had to stop at toll booths and dig out change or small bills to pay the various tolls. Later, when I drove to a hotel I stayed at not far from Dulles International Airport, I got caught by surprise again and remember counting nickels to pay the tolls on my way to the hotel. Those trips (to and back) got me interested in the EZ Pass program.

The program is simple enough. You buy a transponder from 1 of the participating state agencies (prices vary depending on the transponder), pay in advance enough money to pay for 1 month of tolls and set up an account to where you can recharge your account ensuring you always have money in it to pay for the various tolls.

The toll booths in the participating states will have lanes where you can pay with your EZ Pass. You drive into the lane, an antenna picks up your transponder and your account is charged. Most of the time, you can drive right through the lanes without having to stop saving lots of time. On my recent trip, I would've had to stop 9 times to pay over $28 in tolls. The EZ pass was priceless in this way. One downside to the EZ Pass is you will be charged a $1.50 a month service fee if you don't use the pass for that month. Still, if you're going to be driving on toll roads on the following states, it is really worth getting an EZ Pass.

The following states participate in the EZ Pass program:

Delaware
Illinois
Indiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
New York City
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Virginia
West Virginia

For information on each of these state's particular EZ Pass program, go to the following webpage and click on the appropriate state: https://www.ezpassmd.com/en/about/facilities.shtml

Overall, if you're going to be driving on the various toll roads in the previously mentioned states, EZ pass can save you lots of hassle and time. I was really glad I had mine on my trip north. I'd definitely recommend the program to those who have to drive on the mentioned toll roads. Safe travels all!