verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . april 2008 learn how and when to remove this template message e zpass logo 1987 present type electronic toll collection systems founded 1987 1989 products transponders car tags services united states delaware illinois indiana kentucky maine maryland massachusetts new hampshire new jersey new york north carolina ohio pennsylvania rhode island virginia west virginia canada ontario website official website e zpass is an electronic toll collection system used on most tolled roads bridges and tunnels in the midwestern and northeastern united states south to north carolina and west to illinois . currently there are 37 agencies spread across 16 states that make up the e zpass interagency group iag . 1 all member agencies use the same technology allowing travelers to use the same e zpass transponder throughout the iag network . various independent systems that use the same technology have been integrated into the e zpass system . these include i pass in illinois and nc quick pass in north carolina . other interoperable systems retained their own branding for some time but many have since been rebranded simply as e zpass . contents 1 functionality 1.1 technology 1.2 technology details 1.3 retail availability 2 history 2.1 e zpass booths in canada 3 variants 3.1 e zpass plus 3.2 e zpass flex 4 concerns 4.1 reduced pollution and health 4.2 privacy concerns 5 accounts and agencies 6 fees and discounts by state 7 list of places where e zpass is accepted 7.1 list of agencies 7.2 list of roadways bridges tunnels and airports 7.2.1 delaware 7.2.2 illinois 7.2.3 indiana 7.2.4 kentucky 7.2.5 maine 7.2.6 maryland 7.2.7 massachusetts 7.2.8 new hampshire 7.2.9 new jersey 7.2.10 new york 7.2.11 north carolina 7.2.12 ohio 7.2.13 pennsylvania 7.2.14 rhode island 7.2.15 virginia 7.2.16 west virginia 7.3 other non toll uses 8 toll facilities that do not accept e zpass in e zpass states and provinces 9 see also 10 references 11 external links functionality edit technology edit a typical e zpass toll booth in massachusetts before that state discontinued using their fast lane branding . the transmission antenna is highlighted in the yellow box . an e zpass system transponder unit also known as a tag or a pack ; this unit is distributed by the indiana toll road for use with their e zpass system and other roads which utilize e zpass . new g4 style e zpass transponder manufactured by kapsch e zpass exterior license plate mount transponder e zpass tags are active 2 rfid transponders made exclusively by kapsch trafficcom formerly mark iv industries corp ivhs division . they communicate with reader equipment built into lane based or open road toll collection lanes by transmitting a unique radio signature . the most common type of tag is an internal tag that can be mounted on the inside of the vehicle s windshield in proximity to the rear view mirror . some vehicles have windshields that block rf signals ; for those vehicles historical vehicles and customers who have aesthetic concerns an external tag is offered typically designed to attach to the vehicle s front license plate mounting points . 3 although a tag can be used with a motorcycle there are usually no official instructions given for mounting due to the numerous variations between bike designs and the small area of a motorcycle windshield which could prove a hindrance if the transponder is attached following automobile instructions . transponders may be put in a shirt or jacket pocket if necessary . 4 most e zpass lanes are converted manual toll lanes and must have fairly low speed limits for safety reasons between 5 and 15 miles per hour 8 and 24 km h is typical so that e zpass vehicles can merge safely with vehicles that stopped to pay a cash toll and in some cases to allow toll workers to safely cross the e zpass lanes to reach booths accepting cash payments . in some areas however typically recently built or retrofitted facilities there is no need to slow down because e zpass users can utilize dedicated traffic lanes express e zpass that are physically separate from the toll booth lanes . examples include delaware route 1 virginia s pocahontas parkway hampton toll plaza on i 95 in new hampshire hooksett toll plaza on i 93 in new hampshire interstate 78 toll bridge newark toll plaza on the delaware turnpike 5 express lanes of the atlantic city expressway three locations on the new jersey turnpike near the delaware memorial bridge exit 1 near exit 18w and the pennsylvania extension which connects to the pennsylvania turnpike exit 6 garden state parkway pennsylvania turnpike s gateway warrendale neshaminy falls and mid county i 476 toll plazas new sections of the mon fayette expressway new york state thruway at the woodbury toll barrier in october 2006 illinois completed open road tolling for i pass and e zpass users ; it was the first u.s. state to have done so . 6 each e zpass tag is specifically programmed for a particular class of vehicle ; while any valid working tag will be read and accepted in any e zpass toll lane the wrong toll amount will be charged if the tag s programmed vehicle class does not match the vehicle . this will result in a violation and possible large fine assessed to the tag holder especially if a lower class e.g. passenger car tag is being used in a higher class vehicle such as a bus or truck . in an attempt to avoid this e zpass tags for commercial vehicles are blue in color contrasting with the white tags assigned to standard passenger vehicles . the blue e zpass is also used in government employee vehicles . in new york an orange e zpass tag is issued to emergency vehicles as well as to employees of the metropolitan transportation authority port authority of new york and new jersey and new york state thruway authority . for purposes of interoperability all agencies are connected to each other by a secure network the reciprocity network . this network provides the means to exchange tag data and process toll transactions across the various agencies . tag data is exchanged among the agencies on a nightly basis . this data can take up to 24 hours on the primary network the unit is issued by e.g. i zoom i pass e zpass but may be delayed by as much as 72 hours on other networks . 7 8 technology details edit the e zpass transponder works by listening for a signal broadcast by the reader stationed at the toll booth . this 915 mhz signal is sent at 500 kbit s using the tdm formerly iag protocol in 256 bit packets . transponders use active type ii read write technology . in april 2013 kapsch purchasers of mark iv industries made the protocol available to all interested parties royalty free in perpetuity and is also granting the right to sublicense the protocol . 9 retail availability edit some issuing agencies offer a packaged e zpass transponder preloaded with toll funds sold over the counter at a retail setting such as a supermarket or pharmacy service desk that are valid immediately . 10 11 a portion of the balance is available instantly ; customers can access the remaining balance when they register their transponders with the issuing e zpass agency within several days of first using their tags . history edit express e zpass lanes on the atlantic city expressway in new jersey which allow the motorist to pay their toll at high speed a new hampshire e zpass plaza also using a coin drop basket left and a conventional toll booth right the notion of electronic tolling had been considered as early as the 1980s particularly in the new york metropolitan area . the tolling agencies of new york new jersey and pennsylvania which constitute two thirds of the united states 3 billion a year toll industry sought to create a compatible electronic tolling technology that could be used on the toll roads and bridges of the three states in an effort to reduce congestion on some of the busiest roadways and toll plazas in the united states . citation needed in 1991 the e zpass iag was created to develop an interoperable system and involved the participation and cooperation of seven independent toll agencies the port authority of new york and new jersey the new jersey turnpike authority the new jersey highway authority which at the time operated the garden state parkway the new york metropolitan transportation authority the new york state thruway authority the pennsylvania turnpike commission and the south jersey transportation authority operator of the atlantic city expressway . the e zpass trademark however belongs to the port authority of new york and new jersey . 12 the port authority has been aggressive at protecting its trademark including forcing the los angeles county metropolitan transportation authority to rename the ez pass regional transit pass to ez transit pass to protect its rights . 13 the tolltag used by the north texas tollway authority ntta in the dallas fort worth metro area was north america s first electronic toll collection system when it was installed on the dallas north tollway in 1989 . 14 under the direction of peter tufo chairman of the new york state thruway from 1989 to 1996 e zpass was first deployed on the thruway at the spring valley toll plaza on august 3 1993 . over the following three and a half years the new york state thruway authority nysta installed electronic toll collection equipment in stages along the thruway . by february 6 1997 e zpass had been installed along the entire length of the corridor . the pennsylvania turnpike had planned to adopt e zpass by 1998 ; 15 16 however implementation of the system was postponed until december 2 2000 17 when e zpass debuted on the turnpike between harrisburg west and the delaware river bridge . 18 by december 15 2001 e zpass could be used on the entire length of the mainline pennsylvania turnpike . 19 20 commercial vehicles were allowed to use the system beginning on december 14 2002 21 and the entire turnpike system was taking e zpass by 2006 . 22 on october 6 1998 a u.s. patent for an automated toll collection system was issued to fred slavin and randy j. schafer . 23 meanwhile various other agencies began work on similar electronic toll collecting facilities . this resulted in the emergence of other networks the masspass system used in massachusetts changed to the compatible fast lane in 1998 and rebranded e zpass in 2012 the i pass system used in illinois the i zoom system used in indiana rebranded e zpass in 2012 the smart tag system used in virginia merged with e zpass in 2004 24 the transpass system used in maine since replaced by the e zpass system the m tag system used in maryland integrated into and rebranded e zpass in 2001 the quick pass system used in north carolina partially integrated in 2013 25 and integrated into florida s sunpass system originally these systems were not interchangeable with e zpass . however since most of them use the same technology or have since converted over to a compatible technology all of them have been incorporated into the e zpass network . though several still retain their own brand name for their own facilities users of those systems can use e zpass and vice versa . this allows for example travelers to drive on various toll roads in several states from chicago illinois to atlantic city new jersey with only an e zpass tag . the e zpass system continues to expand . the indiana toll road concessions corporation has upgraded its toll