bkafrick

Because you would use your own SUNPASS and it wouldnt charge the AVIS one (through usage or through license plate scanning)

stimpy

Are you sure? Maybe the Avis unit would still sense that it passed the checkpoint and charge me?

bkafrick

If both the AVIS SUNPASS and your SUNPASS are visible, yes.

If the AVIS SUNPASS is in the closed position, then no. That lead box is supposed to stop it from being read.

stimpy

Well that's my point. It was in the off, or closed, position and I still got charged for using it.

Critic

...because there's a section of Florida's Turnpike in the Miami area that is all open-road tolling (no booths). If you had the Avis-equipped SunPass transponder in the 'off' position, the highway's cameras would have read the license plate and - since Avis would have registered the car with SunPass - charged the toll to the vehicle. This is enough for eToll to activate the daily usage fee.

What bkafrick suggests is the correct approach; you can get your own SunPass transponder at any number of locations, including CVS, Walgreens and Publix. Find a way to temporarily mount the transponder, log into the SunPass website the register the vehicle to your account, make sure the Avis tag is in the 'off' position, and you're good to go - since the toll would be charged to your tag, not the Avis tag or the license plate, the eToll daily fee isn't charged.

I've done this in the northeast (my personal EZPass tag) and in both Los Angeles* and the SF Bay area (with a FasTrak tag I purchased earlier this year). I promise you it works just fine, so long as the Avis tag is disabled and/or shielded.

*before you say "there aren't any toll facilities in the LA area", the 110 HOV lane allows single-pax cars to use the lane if you pay a toll with FasTrak.

darben

Because you would have gone to the sunpass site and found out how to do it.
I do it all the time. Your sunpass would be charged when read on the car and the car license if captured for a toll instead of the Sunpass would reference your account as you would have gone to the sunpass site and entered the rental cars plate into their database for the time you had it. When you leave you deactivate the sunpass or take it with you until next time.

stimpy

OK folks. Thanks for explaining it in detail. Now I get it. But obviously thousands and thousands of first time visitors won't and Avis will happily add millions in these fee collections. Plus all the corporate renters who simply don't care.

Yes I know about the new deal on the 110 car pool lanes. It is clearly labeled and I stay away from it.

bkafrick

You pay for convenience... If you dont want to do the research ahead of time.

makos

The one that costs $5 is the sticker version, when you remove it from the windshield it will get destroyed. Also there is a minimum balance that you need to fill it up, I think it is $10. Overall you wont save a lot if you just going to use it couple times.

stimpy

Seriously, what would prompt a person to look this up in advance? How could anyone possibly know that there is some new kind of toll system in Florida? I rent cars all over the world and I've never seen anything like this before.

nacho

When you read FT/TA or when you have learned the lesson in the hard way. Avis does have a cost in paying the fees, and they are a business (I don't like the fees), so they are here to maximize their profit.

I think the toll system in FL is ridiculous, however no one forces anyone to visit there. That's why I haven't been to Miami yet

bkafrick

You rent cars all over the world and you've never been to an Electronic Tolling Only road? Well then, sir, you dont rent cars all over the world.

Here's a list:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ection_systems

Many of them have some roads that are ETR only - no option for cash.

sdsearch

Yes, but that site mixes two things without separating them:

Tolling per use, which is the kind that's equivalent to the Florida situation that was being discussed here. There it may be a choice as to who will bill you.

Tolling per year (or shorter term), regardless of use, which is the kind that some European countries (including Switzerland and Austria) use.

The latter cannot involve a fight between the rental company and you. The sticker (vignette) comes on the car already for the country you rented in, but you have to buy one and apply yourself for any other countries you visit that need one. For example, I rented a car at ZRH and it came with the sticker for Switzerland but I drove into Austria and had to buy and apply the 10-day version of the Austria sticker upon entry into Austria.

So while the latter is an electronic toll of sorts, it's an irrelevant type with regards to this thread here.


I'm also not sure whether it distinguishes between electronic-toll-only systems / roads and electronic-toll-option systems / roads. I don't see the word "only" on that website.

stimpy

As sdsearch noted, you got it wrong. I live in Europe and have driven in almost every country here, and nowhere is there anything like Florida where you have no choice. Nor are there Avis EZ tolls here.

bkafrick

I dont "have it wrong"... the example I used does mix lots of eletronic toll roads and electronic toll ONLY roads...

But, there are many many many examples in this the United States.
http://www.tollroadsnews.com/taxonomy/term/581

The Golden Gate Bridge is probably the biggest (most publicized) example of this.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/27/41...ce-for-privacy

My point is - its commonplace here. And since you said you rent cars all over the world, my assumption is that includes the United States.