There’s a new day dawning for road trippers driving along the East Coast and into the Midwest with a Florida-based toll transponder that links the toll networks of 18 different states into one pass.
That will be good news to drivers used to having their locally-issued passes not be accepted a few states over, or having to buy or rent a new device for each system. The new Uni pass, created by the Central Florida Expressway agency, covers its own E-Pass network in the Orlando area as well as the multi-state E-ZPass network. It also is compatible with SunPass, LeeWay, PeachPass, NC QuickPass, RiverLink, I-PASS and QuickPass, covering northern states as far west as Illinois.
Unlike E-ZPass which can be ordered only from state and local agencies, CFX is selling its pass online at Amazon for $18.50; once it arrives the buyer creates an account. The pass, which attaches to the windshield, can be moved from vehicle to vehicle and even works on motorcycles.
One wrinkle, though: Many E-ZPass issuers offer steep discounts to local users of the pass, but Uni users pay full price outside its own network. But it might still be worth it for, say, a New Yorker to keep the E-Zpass with its steep discounts, but swap it out for Uni when headed out-of-town.
On the other hand, CFX told TravelGumbo, within its own territory the Uni pass gives users increasing discounts on local tolls the more they use it.