SunPass
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
SunPass is an electronic toll collection system in use by the State of Florida and was originally created by the Florida Department of Transportation's Florida's Turnpike Enterprise. The system uses Amtech active RFID windshield-mounted transponders manufactured by TransCore along with lane equipment designed by several companies including SAIC and TransCore. SunPass is fully interoperable with E-Pass (from the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority), O-Pass (from the Osceola Parkway), LeeWay (from Lee County toll bridges) and Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX) toll roads. SunPass may also be used at the Orlando International Airport to pay for parking. There are plans for other major Florida airports to utilize the SunPass system for parking fees.
[edit] General
SunPass-Only toll lanes on most toll roads in Florida allow a vehicle to proceed through the tollbooth at speeds of up to 25 mph (40 km/h). This is a safety guideline, not a technological limitation, and violation may be subject to a speeding ticket and associated fine. Some mainline toll barriers are being constructed with wider SunPass-Only lanes that can handle speeds up to 50 mph (80 km/h). With a few sites that allow you to drive through at 70 mph (112.6 km/h) by forking the SunPass lanes into another section, that do not come close to regular toll booths. E-Pass-Only lanes in the OOCEA system have a speed limit of 35 mph (60 km/h), though the mainline toll barriers will all have dedicated lanes capable of full-speed automatic toll collection at up to 65 mph (105 km/h) by 2009.
SunPass customers must pay for the transponder ($25 US plus sales tax) and also establish a minimum opening balance of $25 US to fund their tolls. Unused toll fees are only refunded if the user closes the account or takes advantage of a money-back guarantee.
The SunPass electronic toll-collection system as well as the other related ETC systems in Florida are currently not compatible with E-ZPass or other ETC systems outside of Florida. Non-Florida ETC transponders (including E-ZPass) will not work in Florida tollbooths.
