If your E-ZPass transponder is old, you might be among nearly 1M drivers needing a new one

Close to 1 million drivers who have accounts with the New Jersey E-ZPass consortium will get a new transponder in the mail this year to replace old tags that are nearing the end of their useful life.

Yes, they have a shelf life.

That’s why roughly 920,000 new tags will be mailed to drivers with active E-ZPass accounts this year with a postage paid return envelope to return the old tag.

Last November, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority started the process by approving an $8.4 million contract supplement with Conduent State & Local Solutions, Inc. to supply 920,000 E-ZPass transponders to replace those that will soon reach the end of their useful life.

The cost per tag to Conduent is about $8.75 for each transponder swapped, which the Turnpike Authority will reimburse.

The average battery life of the transponders is between eight and 10 years, which is why they’re being replaced. The new transponders will look similar to the old ones and will provide battery life for more than a decade, officials said.

The New Jersey E-ZPass consortium serves the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, Atlantic City Expressway, Delaware River Port Authority, Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, Cape May County Bridge Commission, Burlington County Bridge Commission and the Delaware River and Bay Authority bridges.

“Approximately 47,000 of the nearly one million transponders belong to motorists crossing Delaware River Port Authority Bridges,” said James White, DRPA Chief Financial Officer, in a statement James White. “These transponders are nearly a decade old, and we are taking a proactive approach in replacing these units before they stop working properly.”

This is the third such tag swap done since E-ZPass started in New Jersey. The last one was a two-year tag swap program that started in 2012 and went through 2013. The first tag replacement was conducted between 2006-07 that replaced 935,000 transponders.

Drivers who have accounts in good standing don’t need to take action. Tag replacement kits will be automatically mailed to them, officials said.

Drivers who have accounts that have been dormant for 12 months or more will not receive replacement tags. Drivers will not be charged for the replacement tags.

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Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com.

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