i-Zoom

i-Zoom was the former name for the electronic toll collection system used on the Indiana Toll Road (ITR), which now uses the E-ZPass system. On June 27, 2007, the system was implemented from mile 1 to mile 23 of the road under the unique branding of "i-Zoom", which was fully compatible with E-ZPass and the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority's I-Pass system; the remaining toll plazas came online on April 1, 2008, with increased cash toll rates. i-Zoom transponders were then made available for purchase at service plazas and CVS/pharmacy locations in northern Indiana.[1][2] As of September 2012, the i-Zoom branding was retired by the ITR for the universal E-ZPass branding used by most states in the E-ZPass system; outside of the implementation of a transponder with a smaller form factor and the removal of the i-Zoom logo from post-September 2012 transponder units, along with a website upgrade in 2014, no other changes to transponders or accounts are planned.

See also: Digital zoom § iZoom

i-Zoom logo from 2007 until September 2012

Compatibility with intrastate toll systems

The Indiana E-ZPass system is compatible with both the ISTHA's I-Pass and the E-ZPass systems used throughout the Eastern Seaboard states, and by the neighboring Ohio Turnpike, which opened their E-ZPass system at the beginning of September 2009.[3] The Indiana Toll Road and the ISTHA entered into a reciprocal agreement whereby holders of either the i-Zoom or I-Pass receive a discount on tolls in either state, as well as E-ZPass users, and it is likewise the case between the ITR and Ohio Turnpike Commission.[4] Toll discounts are currently not offered with electronic tolling on the Skyway. The discount to I-Pass users is subsidized by the State of Indiana rather than by the ITR's operator.[5][6]

There are issues with the reciprocal use of I-PASS by Illinois motorists and E-ZPass Indiana motorists on the other state's toll road. Each state charges the other a transaction fee when the out-of-state transponder is used to pay a toll. About 70 percent of all electronic transactions on the ITR are done with I-PASS transponders, according to Illinois Tollway Authority figures. Until January 1, 2010, the fee was absorbed, with I-PASS users paying twice as many Indiana tolls as E-ZPass Indiana users paying Illinois tolls. To address this imbalance, the ITR began charging E-ZPass Indiana users a 3¢ surcharge on each of their Indiana Toll Road tolls, effective January 1, 2010.[5] The ITR has signage which states the Illinois Tollway is charging the additional fee to I-PASS users, but this is incorrect since the Illinois Tollway is only able to charge tolls or fees on Illinois Tollways.[7] The 3¢ surcharge, rather, was a business decision by ITR Concession Company, the private company that operates the Indiana Toll Road, to recoup money lost as a result of the Illinois Tollway billing the ITRCC for a variety of customer service costs and the uneven amount of electronic transactions in the two states.[5][7]

Purchasing and care

As of 2012, while the ITR encouraged users to either purchase an E-ZPass ITR transponder or to move their business from the I-Pass system, the cost of a transponder was $10, with that price (or $8 of it if bought via retail) immediately credited as a starting balance for the tag. Due to the low price and pre-paid deposit amount, Indiana's implementation is the lowest-priced transponder currently in the E-ZPass system.[8] If users of both the I-Pass and Indiana's E-ZPass systems have both transponders, unshielded, in their vehicle, the system will charge a toll on both devices—double payment—at a toll plaza; the storage bag which comes in the device's welcome kit is metallic and acts as a Faraday cage if one of the transponders is kept in it, preventing it from incorrectly being detected by the toll plaza's system.

See also
  •  Indiana portal
  •  U.S. Roads portal

References
  1. Pierce, Martt (April 11, 2008). "Use iZoom and pay pre-April 1, 2008 toll rates: Transponders Available for Purchase at Travel Plazas" (PDF) (Press release). Indiana Toll Road Concession Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 14, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
  2. "I-Zoom Active in Indiana". WNDU-TV. South Bend, IN. n.d. Archived from the original on April 5, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
  3. Staff (n.d.). "EZPass FAQ". Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  4. "Indiana Toll Road". i-Zoom Newsletter. October 2009.
  5. Benman, Keith (December 5, 2009). "3-Penny Drama Plays Out on Indiana Toll Road". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Muenster, IN. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
  6. "EZ Pass NY Guide". Friday, 3 January 2020
  7. Staff (n.d.). "ITR Customer Q&A" (PDF). Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 2, 2011.
  8. Staff (n.d.). "Get Your iZoom for Only $10" (PDF). Indiana Toll Road Concession Company. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 14, 2012.
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