New Jersey wants to replace E-ZPass tags with battery-free stickers. Here's what they look like.
New Jersey E-ZPass users could soon be able to ditch the tags mounted to their windshields and replace them with very thin and battery-free stickers to pay tolls.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority is planning to test the new tolling technology, which relies on barcodes instead of the familiar battery-powered RFID transponders, on many of its vehicles sometime around May.
A cost-saving move
Kris Kolluri, executive director of the NJ Turnpike Authority, said batteries in the current tags are good for about 8-10 years, but the stickers would last forever and only need to be replaced when a customer gets a new car.
Kolluri, who is also CEO of NJ Transit, said switching to stickers to collect tolls would be a cost-saving move. He estimated the state spent about $4.6 million to buy tags this year alone.
"This one costs about $1.25. I think I will be able to get the same for less than $700,000," Kolluri said.
More secure technology
For drivers, the obvious inconvenience is that the battery-free stickers cannot be transferred to another car. They'll have to reach out to E-ZPass for another if they buy or lease a new vehicle.
But Kolluri said it also makes the system more secure.
"The E-ZPass that people are used to seeing, you can steal it if the window is open or something. This thing is a seal secure. That means once you put it on the windshield, if somebody tries to take it, it breaks in half and they can't use it," he said.
Fewer hassles for drivers
This would not be the first change to E-ZPass over the years, but it could be the most significant.
"The first [tags] were bigger, but I felt like the function was the same. These ones are slimmer and it was very easy to install," said Chasity Jones, of Newark.
Jones said the smaller tag is still bulky and it becomes a hassle when the batteries run out, since the only way to know it's dead is by seeing a message at the toll booth and getting a letter in the mail.
"I have noticed when I go through the pass, sometimes it shows up as not paid, and I know I'm fully paid," Jones said.
Adriana Madeira, of Rutherford, said the smaller tag still has its issues.
"It keeps falling. So in order for that not to happen, I have to use my own glue, my own tape," Madeira said.
E-ZPass users could start getting stickers by the end of the year, if all goes well with the test.
