How much do you pay in tolls?

[QuarterMillionMan]

Yesterday I drove $360 miles and paid $10 in tolls but worth it. In California, tolls are optional. You can avoid toll roads in California but you'll be stuck in traffic. Unless using HOV lanes (free) but requires an EV or 2 or 3 people in some places.

[ua_guy]

Maybe $10/month?

There's a bridge I cross and it's tolled about $5 in one direction.

We also have variable-tolled carpool lanes on some freeways but I typically don't need to use them.

[disneysteve]

Little to nothing in our daily lives. The only nearby toll road is the NJ Turnpike but we never have to use it in our normal routine. There are tolls for the bridges into PA and DE, but again, not something we need routinely.

The only time we pay tolls is when we're traveling out of our immediate area. Last week, DW and I went to Lancaster, PA for a few days. Even though PA borders NJ, the quickest route actually goes through DE and MD and then into PA so we paid the bridge toll and then a couple of other tolls on 95 through DE. I'm honestly not sure how muc they were. $5 for the bridge and I think $4 each for the other two. I'd have to check my EZ Pass account to be sure.

Before that trip, the last time we paid a toll was probably when we went to visit DW's sister and brother-in-law last month in MD.

[ua_guy]

I was on a business trip between Madison WI and Chicago IL in a rental car and I couldn't figure that ish out. There were so many tolls! Seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Same thing when I went to Boston and rented a car to see a friend up in New Hampshire. Absolute madness....and then I got a huge bill from the rental car's automatic toll charging system.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I was on a business trip between Madison WI and Chicago IL in a rental car and I couldn't figure that ish out. There were so many tolls! Seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Same thing when I went to Boston and rented a car to see a friend up in New Hampshire. Absolute madness....and then I got a huge bill from the rental car's automatic toll charging system.

Same I rented a car in Atlantic City to NY and was prepared with 3 or 4 rolls of quarters and used almost all of it round trip and thought it was insane how many tolls I had to pay. Growing up in Hawaii never had a single toll.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

maybe $5 a month. Unusure because i don't usually drive anywhere with a toll

[myrdale]

I live a bit North of Atlanta, and my folks live in South Alabama. I drive through the country or take back roads rather than going through Atlanta when going home. I'm told the Peach Pass is worth it, but I don't know and don't intend on finding out.

[QuarterMillionMan]

And getting out of NY was confusing to go back to AC. Unnecessarily I took 2 wrong toll bridges, the one near Queens and i think the George Washington bridge but there is a point of no return once committed.

[kork13]

I actively avoid tolls whenever possible, gratefully GPS apps make that fairly simple.

[jenn_jenn]

Too much!

We have ours on auto renewal once the balance is low and it seems like at least once a month it refills for $78.

I’m from Souther California where tolls are not a big thing. Here in New York they are everywhere.

It’s at least $25 in tolls every time we go to the airport. Between our own traveling and picking up friends and fam, we do that a few times a month.

[disneysteve]

Same I rented a car in Atlantic City to NY and was prepared with 3 or 4 rolls of quarters

You need to be careful with a rental. When you pick it up, ask about toll roads in the area. There are places where tollbooths are electronic payment only (EZ Pass, SunPass, etc.). If you don't have a transponder, they send a bill based on your license plate. In the case of a rental, the bill goes to the company and then they charge you later, often with a hefty service fee added on.

When we fly to Florida, I always make sure to pack our SunPass transponder to use in the rental car. When we went to Dallas a few years ago, I had heard that there are a lot of toll roads there so when we got the rental, I paid for them to put a transponder in the car. It probably would have been cheaper to just pay as we went but it was way more convenient to use the automated lanes.

[ua_guy]

Oh, heck no. I don't travel with a bunch of change!! If they can't also take a card payment, they shouldn't be allowed to toll.

[disneysteve]

Oh, heck no. I don't travel with a bunch of change!! If they can't also take a card payment, they shouldn't be allowed to toll.

I don’t know if any tolls in these parts take anything other than cash or EZPass. And I’m positive in Florida some are EZ Pass or SunPass only.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Ha-ha, that was 10 years ago. Maybe 9 out of 10 lanes were for account holders, 1 out of 10 lanes for cash only. I recall a big hopper things where I'd toss my coins inside and go on my merry way. Yes I hope now it is all automated. Here in Los Angeles the Fas Trak lanes are the furthest left 1 or 2 lanes in the left lanes on the freeways. There are also toll-only roads such as the 73 freeway in Orange county. Transponders are required for both. The signs above have information when to enter (ie, in 1 mile entrance ahead, $2.10 to the next county line, etc). "Not an account holder pay online within 5 days to avoid extra fees or fines."

[Fishindude77]

Zero, unless we go through Chicago which we avoid whenever possible.
We do have an IPass device for road trips, gets used about 1-2 times annually.