July 18th, 2008
EZ-Pass
I love EZ-Pass. We don’t travel that much where we need one but I got one anyway just to have it for when we do travel. That means that I have up to $25 sittting in my EZ-Pass not collecting interest but that is the only downside of having one. In virtually every case, having the EZ-Pass means never having more than one or two cars in front of you at toll booths. Just look at the picture… guess which lanes are EZ-Pass lanes.
I noticed something odd during our trip to Boston. Doesn’t anyone in Massachusetts use EZ-Pass? The EZ-Pass lanes were always empty but the cash lanes were backed up endlessly with cars and trucks. And why do they put the EZ-Pass line all the way to the right on the Massachusetts Pike? I’m cruising along in the left lane and then I had to shoot over to the right to get in the EZ-Pass lane. And this is the first place I have been where they name the EZ-Pass lane the way that baseball teams name their stadiums. “Keep right to use the Commerce Bank EZ-Pass Lane.”
Whatever. Anyway, the less people that have EZ-Pass the better for us smart people who have one! 
Ecki wrote,
Do they still charge a $1 a month if you don’t use your EZ-Pass that month? I think that’s what my FIL said. Sigh, we have so many appointments in Westchester, I might just have to get one.
Link | July 18th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Tom wrote,
It depends on who you get your EZ-Pass from. If you get it through the Port Authority then yes, there is a $1 monthly fee. But if you get it through the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority then there is no fee! Use this link: http://www.mta.info/bandt/ezintro.htm
Link | July 18th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Ulf wrote,
Using something like EZ-Pass is a tradeoff between convenience and privacy. If the thought of having a company you have no reason to trust is aware of wherever you go by car doesn’t bother you, then, by all means, use EZ-Pass. Having lived in MA I can tell you that folks there are privacy-conscious, so the fact that they avoid this is no surprise to me.
Link | July 27th, 2008 at 2:08 pm