aviator4512

This is exactly my problem. I live, travel, and rent in Florida frequently and when I asked why the transponders were disappearing, the Hertz rep told me that all of the cars have Platepass and i've never had an issue with this. As far as my travels up in the Northeast (NJ, NY, CT, MA, PA) I have not had an issue going through tolls until the one with the gate (Throgs Neck in NY). On that trip it was an Infiniti FX35 registered in MA, rented out of Long Island, NY with NO transponder so I just assumed that it was the same deal as FL. If they don't have Platepass accessibility up in the Northeast, then Hertz needs to ensure that all vehicles have a transponder.

themicah

Sounds like there's some confusion as to what "Platepass" is.

"Platepass" is the name of the company that contracts with Hertz to provide electronic toll payment services to Hertz customers, not the name of any particular toll collection method. In places that use EZ Pass for electronic toll collection (as opposed to other systems like SunPass in Florida), you must have an EZ Pass transponder (provided by Platepass) in the car to use the Platepass service. In those cases "Platepass" has nothing to do with the car's license plate. And not all cars have transponders. If you plan to use Platepass, you should be sure to ask for a transponder when renting in an area that requires a transponder.

If in the past you've driven through EZ Pass toll lanes without a transponder and not had a problem, it's probably either because (1) they haven't tracked you down yet (it can take many months for the toll agency to issue a violation to Hertz, and for Hertz to pass it on to you with a "service" fee) or (2) the violation slipped through the cracks of the toll agency and Hertz bureaucracies. I'd guess the latter, as several years ago I accidentally drove a non-Platepass-equipped Hertz car through an EZ Pass only express lane and nothing ever came of it.

aviator4512

What your saying doesn't add up. Florida has Sunpass, NY has EZpass. Why am I able to drive through a Sunpass toll in Florida without a transponder and Hertz bills me via their platepass system, but I can't do the same in NY via the EZpass lane? How am I supposed to know which states platepass works in and which states it doesn't? Furthermore, during that trip with the FX35 w/ no transponder, I was billed for traveling through several EZpass tolls - labeled on my credit card statement as "PLATEPASS HERTZ TOLLS". So platepass must work with EZpass, but I just needed a transponder the time on the Throgs neck so that the arm would go up. Bottom line is i'm going to make sure I get a vehicle with a transponder next time i'm in NY, but Hertz should either put the transponders in the vehicles or use the Platepass system which utilizes a photo of the license plate to bill the renter. My guess is Hertz got sick of dealing with all of the transponders and Platepass sounded like a good solution, which it is, but it's not perfect.

jasonvr

You're mixing a lot of things up here:
1) The Florida systems do not use transponders, the work strictly off of license plates. The same is true in Colorado (although I believe there is a transponder option there, but it is not necessary)
2) The EZPass system requires a transponder. They have a built in backup mechanism for when the transponder fails to read properly in an EZPass only lane. They will look you up via the license plate number that is registered in the system. For Hertz, that goes to Platepass and they will charge you accordingly. At least in Illinois, that is listed as "VTOLL" on an IPass statement (same fundamental system as EZPass and the interoperate).
3) You apparently went into a lane that was not EZPass only and that is the key. If you have a transponder in those lanes, the gate will lift. If you don't have a transponder, it has no way to know that you are an EZPass customer. If you had gone thru an EZPass only lane (not just a lane that accepts EZPass), it would have fallen back to the backup mechanism and looked you up via the license plate.

Bottom line is, yes, they really should put transponders in all the cars in the region because it is truly required for the system to work (regardless of the backup method being in place). If the car had a PlatePass sticker in the upper left, I would complain to Hertz and ask for some sort of compensation because coming up with a bunch of cash on the spot is a real inconvenience and they stated that the car should work with the system. It is especially weird because Massachusetts (the license plate on the car) is part of the EZPass system.

stc

That's not how I understand the system works in NY, NJ, MA, and probably other places in the NE.

If you go thru a non-EZPASS lane you are required to pay cash. If you drive through without stopping you are subject to arrest for toll violation. This has happened to my wife / gf (she was required to pay cash).

If you go thru a EZPASS lane in the NE you are supposed to have a transponder. If you don't they obviously can look it up by licence plate number especially in cases where the car used to have a transponder. However, if there is a gate (common around NYC because of the amount of toll evasion and general paranoia), you are stuck waiting for a human to come over and deal with you.

rfrost

Thanks for the tips--I guess I've been lucky--my EZ Pass has been traveling (with a lot of other stuff) in a Strand plastic bag on the passenger seat, without problem to date, but I'm going to order the bag.
So, when there's a silver box, how do you remove the Platepass, and in the example I gave, where the boxless EZ Pass was affixed to the window, how do you peel the thing off?

themicah

When it's in the silver Platepass box with the slider, as long as the box is closed you don't have to worry about removing it and can just stick your EZ Pass up on the windshield next to it using a suction cup (I have one of these and it works great). But most of those silver boxes are attached using the same velcro strips as the standard EZ Pass transponder, so I've often just peeled off the whole box (making sure it was closed), put it in the armrest or glovebox and stuck my EZ Pass in its place.

For the ones where the transponder is boxless (which I've never seen on a regular Hertz car, but have seen in Zipcars and Hertz on Demand cars), IME the transponder has always been attached using the standard velcro strips so I just peel it off, put in my anti-read bag, and affix mine it is place. Just make sure to switch them back when you're done with the car!

I suppose if the transponder was actually glued to the windshield directly, it would indeed be a challenge, but I've never seen that.

rfrost

Thanks, micah--I've been closing the silver box and holding my own EZ Pass above it--have not had a problem, but I love the idea of the suction cup.
I have a bad feeling I'd forget to switch the EZ Passes back if I did the velcro strip switch.

Houston.Business

I hate em, and don't use em.

BUT......A month ago, in heavy traffic, I was forced into an EZ-Pass lane. I opened the box on the windshield to go through, knowing perfectly well what was in store for me.

I got the Bill today from Hertz. $16.28 for a $1.45 toll.

Another thing to watch for. I got a car last week with a notice on the windshield that stated the EZ-Pass was "Built into the Car". I refused the car, and got another one.

gk17

I assume this is much higher because you didn't request for it during check-in? From what I read, it should be $2.50 per day up to a max of $10 per month. It definitely shouldn't be that high. They must have hit you with some other administration fees.

I usually just bring my own EZ-Pass tag if I know I will be going through those tolls. Much faster and no hassle or extra fees from the rental company.

Houston.Business

I wouldn't have used it at all, but I ended up in the wrong lane. (I always pay cash out of state)

I can't take my own with me. In Texas we use microchips in a adhesive patch on the windshield. If you remove it, you destroy it. And then, my TX tag wouldn't work in NY anyway.

jerry a. laska

Where was it? Platepass often (usually) assesses the cash rate for the toll as opposed to the ez-pass rate. Typically. platepass service fees max out at $10 per month. See also:
http://www.hertz.com/rentacar/byr/in...nited%20States
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hertz...ghlight=ezpass
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hertz...ghlight=ezpass
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hertz...ash-tolls.html

Houston.Business

I rent from Hertz for Business. (Presidents Club Member)
Rented the car for a week @ AVP with Awards Points (Vacation). The trip to NY was a one day thing. The box on the windshield had 2 pass units in it. I dont use them, so I didn't pay attention. I only opened the box because I was forced ino the wrong lane, otherwise I would have gotten my ticket, and paid the $1.45 in cash at my exit.

You're stating 2 different rates. The box had 2 transponder units in it. Only God knows which one picked up the toll.

Quite a few years ago, I made the mistake of entering the ETR (Electronic Toll Route) in Canada. (Hertz Rental) I traveled about 5 miles on it. I received a bill from Hertz a month later for over $30.00. I've never made that mistake again.

TerryK

Hertz, or Platepass, registered all vehicles for EZPass even though it may not have a Platepass box. Which means you cannot use your own EZPass tag even for vehicles without Platepass. You are forced for pay cash.

Auto Enthusiast

Not true. Only for toll systems that do not require a transponder, such as FL SunPass and TXTag. Those are toll-by-plate. EZPass requires a transponder. I've used cash and my own box without issue.