I-Pass

I-Pass (stylized as I-PASS) is the electronic toll collection system utilized by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (ISTHA) on its toll highways that launched on November 18, 1993, with the opening of Interstate 355 (Veterans Memorial Tollway). It uses the same transponder as the E-ZPass system used in the Northeastern US and the Indiana Toll Road, along with the future Indiana State Road 912 (Cline Avenue) Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal bridge.

I-Pass transponders can be used at all toll plazas, including those located on entrance and exit ramps. However, an important advantage to using I-Pass is that the main toll plazas were rebuilt to use open road tolling so that I-Pass users can drive straight through the toll plaza passing under transponder antennas at normal speeds, while cash customers must pull off to the side of the road and stop at conventional tollbooths.

As of the January 1, 2005, toll rate increase, there is a significant discount for I-Pass usage. In June 2005, I-Pass became compatible with toll collection on the Chicago Skyway.

If a vehicle registered with I-Pass passes through a toll collection without the transponder, the vehicle will be considered in violation only if the vehicle's license plate is not registered on an I-Pass account. Each I-Pass account can register multiple vehicles under the account. If a driver does not have a transponder in the car, the license plate still registers under the system as being affiliated with an account and, as long as there are funds in the account, the driver will not be in violation. If the driver does not have funds in the account and are not set up for auto refill on a credit card, the toll will be considered unpaid and a $20 fine will be levied, in addition to the cash rate (non-discounted) cost of the toll. Once the license plate holders accrue three violations, they will receive a notice of violation from ISTHA with a demand to pay. I-Pass account holders have a window of time to contact ISTHA and remedy the violation by having the cost of the unpaid toll deducted from their account balance and can have the $20 fee waived. It is up to the account holder to contact ISTHA. If the account holder fails to contact the tollway authority by the due date on their violation notice, additional fines will be levied, eventually leading to having their vehicles plates, drivers license, or both, suspended. There have been many reports of fines escalating into thousands of dollars due to the account holders failure to act and contact ISTHA about the violation.

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