TOLEDO, Ohio -- Ohio will roll out the E-ZPass electronic payment system for turnpike drivers Oct. 1, a plan that includes a fare increase for drivers paying cash.
The Ohio Turnpike Commission announced the details of its E-ZPass system Friday after discussing the concept for years and approving it in March.
Currently the driver of a car traveling from I-75 in Toledo to the Indiana line pays $2.75 and pays $7.50 if traveling from I-75 to the Pennsylvania line.
Cars using E-ZPass will pay the current rates starting Oct. 1. The system includes a 75-cent monthly service fee.
That fee is higher than some other states with E-ZPass, but the initial $25 deposit for cars is lower than some states charge, said Lauren Hakos, an Ohio Turnpike spokeswoman.
The system will work in other states with E-ZPass.
For motorists not using E-ZPass, the rates will be $4 from I-75 west to Indiana and $11 for the trip east to Pennsylvania when the system is activated.
Trucks traveling the 241-mile Ohio Turnpike will be charged based on the number of axles, rather than on weight. That could mean drivers of empty trucks will pay more and loaded trucks will pay less than now.
The E-ZPass system uses radio signals from transponders aboard vehicles that identify themselves when passing through toll plazas.
Fares are automatically deducted from users' accounts, paid either from a credit card or through a link to a checking account.
All 229 toll-plaza lanes on the turnpike will accept E-ZPass.
Electronic tolling began in other states in 1993 but the Ohio Turnpike Commission waited to install the $50 million system until the current one needed to be replaced.
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