If you drive on Illinois Tollways make sure your car has its very own I-Pass transponder, otherwise your fees will double in 2018.

Do you remember on Friday evenings in the summer when the Rockton Road toll on I-90 would back up for miles with people trying to get up to Wisconsin?

The state of Illinois fixed that problem by changing to open road tolling, also know as I-PASS. When you got your transponder, you no longer had to stop to pay. That eliminated the traffic problem. Plus, the tolls were cheaper when you used it.

When you received your I-PASS transponder, as long as you had it in your car you were good to go. You could have one for your whole family and just pass it around. If you were going somewhere with a friend and they didn't have an I-PASS. You could bring your unit to pay the tolls.

Then the rules changed. You no longer could just bounce a transponder from car to car. Your license plate had to be registered. If your family had multiple vehicles and just one unit, they all had to be signed up. Otherwise, you would get a fine. As long as your plate was in the system, you didn't have to worry if you forgot it. You would still get the cheaper tolls.

Now, things are going to change again.

According to dailyherald.com,

"Got one I-PASS transponder but multiple cars? It could cost you in 2018 as the Illinois tollway cracks down on I-PASS users that drive through tolls without transponders."

"As of Jan. 1, no transponder, no discount. By "discount," the agency means the I-PASS rate, which is half as much as the cash rate. A toll costing 40 cents with an I-PASS is 80 cents at the cash rate"

"They will double rates for I-PASS customers who frequently drive through toll plazas without transponders."

I'm not surprised they are changing the rules. With a state as broke as Illinois, they will do whatever possible to create revenue.

I guess I'm going to have to stop at the I-PASS stand at the Belvidere Oasis to pick up another one. The last thing I want to do is give this state more money to waste.

What do you think?


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