Originally Posted by
Tangible
- Paying in advance: I understand this is possible, but how? This thread is about rental cars. I don't know the license plate number until I pick up the car, and by then there's no practical way to arrange for payment.
30 seconds on your smartphone (maybe a minute or two if you're using their website rather than their app) and you're done. You could do this either before you drive off in the car, or after pulling over somewhere along the way.
Alternatively you could call in at one of the Cash payment locations on the way to the bridge.
Originally Posted by
Tangible
- Transponders: Several posters talked about transponders. That's not relevant to this thread. The Plate Pass customer service rep I spoke to told me that a) no transponders are used to activate their service on the GG bridge; it's strictly license plate photos, and b) it is not possible to opt out of their system on Hertz rentals. Drive over the bridge in a Hertz car and you're theirs.
Transponders are relevant in that you can use your own, rather than rely on PlatePass. You can "opt-out" by going to the FasTrak website and registering the license plate in your name for the rental period - but yes, you need to do it in advance. To "no opt-out" is really a technical issue - the cars have to be registered with FasTrak for pay-by-plate, otherwise Hertz would start getting fines for unpaid tolls - it's not feasible for them to add/remove cars individually at rental if people want to opt-in/out.
Originally Posted by
Tangible
1. Hertz includes a hang-tag on cars rented at SFO informing renters of the situation.
2. Charges are actual tolls plus 20%, i.e. $7.20 for my single crossing.
3. Bridge allows online payments for a few days after the toll is incurred, with no surcharge, with signage at the toll area pointing visitors to the appropriate Web site.
4. (Utopian) National compatibility for transponders. I've got an EZ-Pass that works on the East Coast, and I would be happy to take it on trips. Why shouldn't it work in CA, and throughout the country? That would benefit everyone. Our cell phones can roam; why not our transponders?
1. Hertz used to do this (in the form of a sticker on the windscreen), but they seem to have stopped - no idea why.
3. Technically, they do. You have up to 48 hours to pay if you are driving a vehicle that is not already registered with them. The problem is that the hertz vehicles are registered (by PlatePass) so this isn't an option. If FasTrak were to allow this 48 hour window and only then charge to PlatePass it would certainly be a good option.
4. Agreed. As an example, Australia has done exactly this - mandated by the federal government so all existing and future toll roads are compatible with each other. No doubt that's a little harder to do in the US due to the size...