Interstate Tolls

[miccolt]

I am planning to drive to Orlando from the Brantford, Ontario area in a few weeks. Wondering about tolls….Is there a pass I can buy to make this easier? Is it better to just bring cash?
Planning to drive down I-75 through Detroit.

 

[NotUrsula]

The epass Uni covers tolls in quite a few states; here are the details, so you can check it against your route. CSX in Florida will sell it to essentially anyone from anywhere; there is no residency or geographically-specific residency requirement.
https://www.cfxway.com/uni/

 

[mort1331]

We have the sunpass pro. Go online and order and they ship in about 2 weeks. Super easy and covers all tolls up and down, even some parking garages at airports.

 

[mkmommy]

A lot of the toll roads no longer have toll booths so cash may not be an option and you just get billed to your license plate if you don’t have a transponder.

 

[KCMA]

I second the SunPass Pro… bought it online.. shipped to my door in the GTA in two and half weeks… app is easy to use.

We used it up and down the east cost this past summer for tolls/tunnels/bridges etc

Will use it for Florida trip this coming summer

 

[Tripscarcare]

Check out the Uni E Pass, I bought one for a trip down a couple years back and it worked great, using it again in a couple weeks. Doesn't cover your tolls at the border crossings from Ontario into Michigan, but once you get down in Central Florida. It works great. Check out a book by Dave Hunter Along I75, ( Indigo) sells it in the travel section. Makes the drive a bit interesting,

https://epass.cfxway.com/epassweb

 

[WDWkristin]

I drive from that area. I find I don’t need to take a toll road until flordia. I get off the hwy in Flordia and buy a sun pass at the rest stop.

 

[PinkMagnolia]

Has anyone bought the Unipass directly from CSX and shipped to Canada? I see that it's US$14.95 through them, but I'm wondering if there are shipping fees with this to Canada? Does it take a while to arrive? It's CAN $40 from Amazon Canada and I get it in a couple of days. Seems easier to order from Amazon Canada.

Anyone with experience with this? We're driving down in about 4 weeks.

 

[ellbell]

I have the ezpass. It works in Buffalo as well as most states going down to florida and it works at the crossings here and reduces the toll prices coming back into Canada

 

[optstud]

I bought the unipass off Amazon last month. Downloaded app. Easy to use. But if using in rental car, MUST remove license plate from profile as soon as you return car. Even if pass isn’t in car but plate is still registered you will be billed until plate is removed. Happened to me few weeks ago. Rented a car and used pass. Returned car and went on cruise only to find out when I came back I was paying tolls for the past week. Customer service would not remove fees eventhough I can prove I was not driving car.

 

[disneyfreak89]

I am planning to drive to Orlando from the Brantford, Ontario area in a few weeks. Wondering about tolls….Is there a pass I can buy to make this easier? Is it better to just bring cash?
Planning to drive down I-75 through Detroit.

There are no tolls on I75. Once you get on the Florida Turnpike its either cash or pay by plate. We collect coin and $1 bills on our way down so we are prepared.

 

[Tripscarcare]

Has anyone bought the Unipass directly from CSX and shipped to Canada? I see that it's US$14.95 through them, but I'm wondering if there are shipping fees with this to Canada? Does it take a while to arrive? It's CAN $40 from Amazon Canada and I get it in a couple of days. Seems easier to order from Amazon Canada.

Anyone with experience with this? We're driving down in about 4 weeks.

Its a quick call and they set everything up during the call. And they will send you the transponder. Get the app and your all set, I have been using mine for a couple years now with no issues. Just makes tolls quicker, as it seems most are cashless at this point.

 

[Canadian Tom]

Hello: I was once told that Canadians do not have to pay the tolls in Florida (just drive and not enter the cash toll booths. There is no reciprocal agreement between Canada and Florida to collect tolls using your license plate. The same is true in Pensilvania and District of Columbia. The only one I know of with an agreement with Ontario is the New York thruway.

 

[bankr63]

Hello: I was once told that Canadians do not have to pay the tolls in Florida (just drive and not enter the cash toll booths. There is no reciprocal agreement between Canada and Florida to collect tolls using your license plate. The same is true in Pensilvania and District of Columbia. The only one I know of with an agreement with Ontario is the New York thruway.

That was poor advice IMO. Will you get caught, probably not. But if an enforcement officer catches you going through the gantry without a transponder that is an offence. It's not that Canadians don't have to pay, it's that the tolls are hard to collect and probably won't catch up with you. But knowingly avoiding paying the tolls is an offence.

Many of us speed because the likelihood of getting caught is low, but if you do get caught the consequences can be painful to your pocketbook or worse. Same sort of thing here.

Actually a bit of a related tangent is how often when we are driving down I have Ontario and Quebec plates flying by me in states that have much higher enforcement than we are used to in Canada. My rule of thumb is never go faster than the local traffic (in state plates) seems to be going. My one exception is Charleston NC where they all seem to drive like it's a NASCAR race - I never drive THAT fast.

Finally, a +1 more for the SunPass Pro. Most of the tolls I pay in the US are in Florida I-4, 417, Osceola Pkwy etc as well as parking if picking up friends at MCO) , so may as well go with the local flavour and get the bigger toll discounts.

 

[mort1331]

Is it really worth the risk to get out of 40bucks,,,about what i paid total both ways last month....your choice

 

[ellbell]

Hello: I was once told that Canadians do not have to pay the tolls in Florida (just drive and not enter the cash toll booths. There is no reciprocal agreement between Canada and Florida to collect tolls using your license plate. The same is true in Pensilvania and District of Columbia. The only one I know of with an agreement with Ontario is the New York thruway.

I don't know anyone who would risk this in the current climate. Just play by the rules.

 

[Canadian Tom]

Hello: There have been times when I have pulled into the toll booths to pay and there hasn't been anyone there to take a payment. So now what?

 

[Canadian Tom]

I will also say that when you get on the E toll lanes there is no payment method if you don't have a transponder. There have been times because of the insane traffic in the Orlando area, that I have been unable to change lanes safely to not enter the E toll lanes.

 

[ellbell]

I will also say that when you get on the E toll lanes there is no payment method if you don't have a transponder. There have been times because of the insane traffic in the Orlando area, that I have been unable to change lanes safely to not enter the E toll lanes.

You do you but if you get stopped you'll have to hope that the officer cares about the circumstances. I wouldn't risk it and you could always carry change for unmanned booths.

 

[tgropp]

I have used the Sunpass transponder for many years and highly recommend it. That being said, we are leaving on next week and I went to get the transponder but of course I have looked everywhere and can not find it.
Has anyone ever used the kiosks at the airport that sell returnable transponders out of a vending machine? If so, what are your experiences and would you recommend doing that