Originally Posted by ConciergeMike (Post 10861268)

DAB = :rolleyes: and :eek: stirred in a pot.

Originally Posted by ssullivan (Post 10860797)

Some are, but not all. Only Avis, Budget, and Hertz are offering this option.

Speaking of rental cars and tollway tags, there's a HUGE racket going on in Dallas. The North Texas Turnpike Authority is in the process of moving to an all electronic system, much like the Westpark Tollway is in Houston. This will involve removing the existing cash collection lanes on the Dallas North, Bush, and Addison Airport Tunnel tollways in 2010. This system is already in place on State Highway 121. Unlike HCTRA in Houston, driving on the electronic collection only tollways in Dallas without a tag doesn't incur a violation with a hefty fine; they just mail you a bill for the toll with a processing fee. It's not a true violation like it is in Houston, and the processing fee is pretty small; it's like a difference of $0.75 between the tag rate and the cash by mail rate. However, if you drive a rental car from DAL or DFW on those tollways and hit an tag-only toll collection, the rental car company will send you a notice months later that they have provided your name and address to the NTTA to collect the toll, and have charged your credit card a "convenience fee" for doing this. That fee is often at least $10-15, but varies by rental car agency. We ran into this with National at DFW in June. In September three bills arrived in our mailbox from National for $15 each, due to three non-cash tollbooths we hit on 121 in June. The total tolls were less than $2, and National charged us $45 for it.

No verbal warnings were issued when we rented the car, and there are no signs at the exit gate on the rental lot warning you of this either. I was told "there's signs at the rental counter" but that does no good when you're an Emerald Club member and don't ever go to the counter. :rolleyes: Anyway, if you rent a car in Dallas, consider yourself warned. This is a major cash grab going on by the rental car agencies up there. I wouldn't be surprised if there's not a class action lawsuit at some point regarding this issue.

Originally Posted by ConciergeMike (Post 10861260)

The lovely Central Florida Greenway, right? I'd never heard of it, and when we were driving it, all of the bad jokes about NJ and tolls were coming to mind.

Originally Posted by ConciergeMike (Post 10861198)

... and the government doesn't trust the citizenry to execute something as simple as a left turn. Our highway system is corrupt as anything, but at least we're down to two holding agencies. The NJHA owns the Parkway and the Turnpike, and the SJTA owns ACY and the Expressway. The tags work great on all three roads.

Originally Posted by photog72 (Post 10861118)

I'm probably one of a few people who live in Houston who has an EZ pass. I have it through Delaware. No monthly fees just to have the transponder. It's great not to have to rent one when I head up north.

Originally Posted by ConciergeMike

DAB = :rolleyes: and :eek: stirred in a pot.

Originally Posted by COFlyerCLE (Post 10861341)

Only my employer would consider BWI a close alternative to flying to EWR.
:mad:

I give up.

Originally Posted by Olton Hall (Post 10861345)

Keep in mind our citizens were incapable of putting the little registration stickers on the license plate correctly so they dropped that program. Actaully it's the NJTA that runs the GSP and Tpk. Exec. offices are in the old Tpk offices in East Brunswick and ops and engineering are in the old Parkway office in Woodbridge.

Originally Posted by fozz (Post 10861356)

I had no idea the DE ones were still free. Hmmm. I have a PA one since $1 every three months was better than the $1/month. Plus, I'm still cranky at NJ for instituting that whole thing and then pocketing the money.

Does anybody know if the non NJ/NY ones still get you a discount on the tunnels and bridges?

With the current gf living in the city, it may be better for me to get a NJ one just for the discount.

Originally Posted by fozz (Post 10861356)

I had no idea the DE ones were still free.

Originally Posted by Olton Hall (Post 10861345)

Keep in mind our citizens were incapable of putting the little registration stickers on the license plate correctly so they dropped that program.