Big Change Proposed For NJ E-ZPass

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority is preparing to test a replacement car identification system for E-ZPass. Windshield sticker tags will soon be tested as a potential replacement for the white plastic transponders that Garden State drivers have used for decades, a spokesman said Wednesday.

The authority plans to pilot the stickers — thin tags embedded with radio-frequency identification chips that are read by overhead toll gantries — in its own fleet vehicles before any broader rollout.

"We don't have a plan to switch to stickers," said Tom Feeney, a Turnpike Authority spokesman. "We are going to try them out in Turnpike Authority fleet vehicles. If there are no problems, we will make a plan to introduce them to NJ E-ZPass customers."

No timeline has been set for a public rollout.

The authority, which operates both the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, spent $8.4 million in 2022 to replace the batteries of 920,000 transponders through the state E-ZPass Consortium. Transponder batteries typically last between eight and 10 years. The sticker tags require no battery, potentially eliminating that cost entirely.

The New Jersey E-ZPass consortium serves eight toll agencies statewide, including the Atlantic City Expressway, the Delaware River Port Authority and several county bridge commissions.

The pilot follows moves by other states to adopt the technology. Massachusetts began issuing the stickers to new customers and those replacing worn transponders on March 1.

The stickers cost roughly 55 cents each to produce, compared to approximately $6.70 for a traditional transponder, Massachusetts officials said.

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