E-ZPass

Jim Crawford, the blunt spoken executive-director of the E-ZPass Inter Agency Group (IAG) will step down from his position at the country's leading electronic toll collection cooperative when his employment contract expires in late May 2010. The search has begun for his successor.

A study using data from several northeastern tollers before and after E-ZPass electronic toll collection (ETC) finds the reduced tailpipe emissions from free flowing traffic produces a marked improvement in infant health.

E-ZPass electronic tolling is doing "way better" on the Ohio Turnpike, the executive-director George Distel tells us six days after the October 1 start-up. "Each day we're improving.

E-ZPass electronic tolling off to a rough start on the Ohio Turnpike this week with mismatches between lane allocations and traffic, and motorist confusion about signs. Rather than speed throughput at the toll plazas there were longer queues than normal.

TransCore have their eye on the huge E-ZPass Inter Agency Group (IAG) recompete - or its collapse - with bold announcements today that they have added a straight existing-IAG standard transponder to their current product line, plus added 5.9GHz add-on capability to the Encompass 6, their main reader offering.

In the first month after the toll increase West Virginia Turnpike sold about 2500 E-ZPass transponders, an eight-fold increase on normal monthly sales of around 300. Turnpike manager Greg Barr told his board this at their monthly meeting this week. On August 1st cash and external E-ZPass toll rates went up around 60%.

Maryland (Toll) Transportation Authority (MDTA) lost 2,090 E-ZPass in July, the first month in which a $1.50 monthly maintenance fee applies. 4,990 customers dropped their accounts and about 2,800 new E-Zpass accounts were opened. At the end of July there were 557k Maryland E-ZPass accounts.

Ohio Turnpike Commission will fire up their first electronic toll system October 1, and the E-ZPass Inter Agency Group (IAG) will be able to boast a continuous interoperable toll system from Maine to southern Virginia and from Boston harbor and Rhode Island to west of Chicago.

We love headlines with the verb qualifier "may."   "Mark IV may lose east coast deal" reads the headline in the New York Post today about the Great Belated Protracted and Beleaguered Recompete of E-ZPass technology.

Mark IV, manufacturers of E-ZPass transponders and readers for the E-ZPass Inter Agency Group (IAG) members claim that rivals TransCore are violating several of their patents on the Greenville Southern Connector.

Ohio Turnpike Commission's board have approved a schedule of new toll rates and vehicle classes to coincide with their introduction of E-ZPass electronic tolling due for the final quarter of 2009. Approved at the same Commission hearing is a second round of toll increases 24 to 27 months later - on Jan 1, 2012.

Highway Toll Administration LLC (HTA) is offering motorists who rent cars in the E-ZPass IAG area through Travelocity a transponder rental by mail. Modeled on the Netflix DVD rental program transponders and called TravelPass if the car renter books a car through Trevelocity and chooses an "Add a Toll Device" option they will be mailed a transponder branded TravelPass along with installation instructions and a self-addressed postage-paid bag for its return.

Highway Toll Administration LLC (HTA) an electronic toll services company and Avis Budget car rental group announced an agreement with toll system supplier TransCore today to promote its 'eZGo Anywhere' transponder. A headline on the press release suggests the multiprotocol transponder is being rolled out now (see full text below). However a roll-out requires a transponder to be tested and accepted by toll authorities, and this has not occurred.

A class action lawsuit has been filed against the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority over its denial of transponder discounts to E-ZPass drivers that it grants to users of its own transponder branded FAST LANE.

TransCore has released a multiprotocol transponder that apparently can meet the E-ZPass/IAG specifications. The hardcase transponder brandnamed eZGo Anywhere or just eZGo can operate as an active transponder in IAG E-ZPass mode, and it also responds as a passive tag in the ATA mode as used in Oklahoma and Dallas TX, while also performing like a sticker tag with the Super eGo protocol as deployed in Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Washington state.

Mark IV are announcing a transponder with lights and tones to provide feedback to motorists on whether their toll is properly paid, or their balance is low. A transponder with feedback is a requirement in the new E-ZPass procurement being conducted by the Inter Agency Group of 23 toll agencies in the north of the US and midwest.

The Gore on the minds of many in the toll industry these days is Lynn, not Al. Lynn Gore keeps sending out mysterious Addendums to 07-IAG-2782 that are the source of great speculation and rumor about "what's going on" with the huge E-ZPass transponder system recompete. 07-IAG-2782 is formally termed "Furnish and provide Electronic Toll Collection Technology and Associated Subsystem Components and Services for the Operation of the E-ZPass System."

Mark IV is well positioned to win the E-ZPass recompete. Close analysis of the Request For Proposals (RFP) from the E-ZPass Inter Agency Group (IAG) indicates it will be difficult for competitors to put up competitive bids. Indeed implementing any new technology from the existing Mark IV transponders will be tough.

Fourteen years ago on March 18 1994 on a snowy Friday afternoon there was a David vs Goliath battle at the Triborough Authority's head offices on Randall's Island in New York's East River. The chief executives of seven northeastern toll agencies comprising the Inter Agency Group (IAG) met to vote on whether to give Amtech or Mark IV the big E-ZPass electronic toll systems contract.

South Carolina uses electronic toll equipment that is technically compatible with E-ZPass but they aren't part of E-ZPass and the Inter Agency Group (IAG) that sets equipment standards, negotiates purchase prices for the whole, and most importantly does clearing house operations with toll transponders of one another's members. We wrote in the tenth paragraph of our earlier report that "they (South Carolina) aren't part of the Inter Agency Group."