Clunky I-PASS transponders will soon be a thing of the past for tollway drivers.
Instead, drivers who apply to renew an I-PASS or for a new I-PASS will soon pay their tolls with a sticker. Tollway authorities said the new, sleeker payment method will be cheaper for the agency and drivers, and last as long as the vehicle’s windshield.
The stickers are expected to be available at Tollway customer service centers by the end of January. Later in February, they will be available online, at Jewel-Osco and, near Rockford, at Road Rangers, and will be offered at the Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place.
Old transponders will not become inactive, though. Drivers who have transponders can continue to use them until they expire or the battery runs out.
The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority had charged a $10 deposit for the older transponders, but will no longer do so for the stickers. The tollway also expects to save between $8 and $10 per sticker compared with the transponders, because the stickers cost less to manufacture, package and distribute, the agency said.
The switch to stickers will not change toll rates, which, for private vehicles, will remain the same in 2024 as the previous year. I-PASS users pay 50% less for tolls than those who don’t have the toll collection system.
Commercial vehicles, however, have to pay higher tolls this year. Commercial vehicle rates rose by 5.22%.
The Tollway also accepts E-ZPass, a toll collection system used in other states and along parts of the East Coast and Midwest.
