ITR Discount Plan Discriminates Against I-Pass Users

The Illinois Tollway authority plans to complain to the E-Z Pass Interagency Group that the Indiana Toll Road's plan to give discounts to I-Zoom users, but not other E-Z Pass users, including I-Pass users, is discriminatory. Illinois gives Indiana I-Pass users a discount, but Indiana won't reciprocate.

Writes Keith Benman in the Northwest Indiana Times:

A bone thrown to northern Indiana legislators during the dogfight over privatization of the Indiana Toll Road has become a bone of contention between Illinois and the Toll Road's private operator.

The Illinois Tollway authority is protesting the fact that users of I-Pass transponders will not get a discount on the Indiana Toll Road, while users of Indiana Toll Road transponders, called I-Zoom, will get a discount when using the Illinois Tollway.

"The Illinois Tollway has never drawn a line between its residents and drivers who live in Indiana and travel in Illinois for daily commutes or leisure trips," Illinois Tollway Executive Director Brian McPartlin said.

The Illinois Tollway authority says 90,000 I-Pass transponders are owned by Indiana drivers who save $9 million in tolls annually.

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Tech Tags: I-Pass Illinois Tollway Indiana Toll Road

EZ-Pass Coming Soon To Indiana Toll Road

The EZ-Pass system will be active at the Indiana Toll Road by May, according to the Northwest Indiana Times. Drivers with an I-Zoom system transponder will get a 40% discount over the cash fare. While the Illinois Toll Road authority's I-Pass will work on the Indiana Toll Road, drivers using those transponders won't get the I-Zoom discount, reports The Times.

The Indiana Toll Road E-ZPass will go by the name I-Zoom, just as Illinois has I-Pass.

Cars and motorcycles with I-Zoom transponders will get a 40 percent discount on the new, higher tolls, which should be in effect by year-end.

The I-Zoom transponders also will operate on the Illinois Tollway, Chicago Skyway, and other E-ZPass toll roads in 10 other states.

Illinois residents will be able to use their I-Pass transponders on the Indiana Toll Road. But to get the 40 percent discount they will have to get I-Zoom transponders.

I-Zoom transponders will go on sale in May. Transponders will be available for a one-time charge of $10 to $12, Pierce said.

I-Zoom tolling will be installed on the entire 157-mile toll road by the end of the year, Pierce said. It will cost $40 million to install the E-ZPass system.

The E-ZPass Interagency Group, of Atlantic City, N.J., voted this week to accept ITR Concession Co. as a full member.

The Northwest Indiana Times article didn't mention if there were plans to construct open road tolling lanes like that offered on the Illinois Toll Road.

Tags: Indiana+Toll+Road I-Zoom I-Pass EZ-Pass electronic+toll+collection