Open Road Tolls

[Chris Jackson]

Hi

I've just received a charge from Alamo for an ORT on the Bee Line.
As I had declined the option to pay for a transponder and always pay cash when I use the tolls, I queried the charge with Alamo. They advised that many toll roads in Florida are being converted to Open Road Toll Charging which allows vehicles to drive straight through Toll points without slowing down and that there is no cash booth.

I've checked this out and it is false, there is still a cash booth

Around Orlando there are two main payment methods: Sunpass using a transponder and platepass which bills against the owner of the licence plate.

I am certain that I will have paid the 75 cent toll, I've been going there for years and never missed one yet! It's a small amount of money but I'm going to pursue it on principle. Anybody else have any experience of this.

Can Alamo charge me when I declined the option on the rental?
I can't see anything in the contract which says they can charge tolls to my credit card, only that I am liable for any citations or unpaid charges. Any advice would be appreciated

[drino]

cancel your credit card and give them two fingers from this side of the pond...they trying it on...[msnwink]

[KevinT]

Hi Chris,

Although it's true that a good many of the toll plazas are being converted to allow "open road" toll deduction, the improved areas always include at least a couple of toll booths for cash payment. Most of the tourists from abroad will not have any means of payment other than cash so I can not see how it can be claimed there are no toll booths at the place you supposedly incurred the fine ??

I would definitely question the charge with Alamo, asking for the exact location and date of the infringement. (The fact that it's a 75 cent charge suggests to me the possibility that it may be from an unmanned subsidiary access/exit ramp booth which would have two gates, one for Sunpass and another for cash. If the toll hadn't registered the red warning lights and buzzer would sound). Another possibility is that they have got the date wrong and the fine could have been incurred before or after your rental dates by another renter?

The only way I could see that you might incur a charge is if your attention is distracted (or go into "autopilot mode"[msneek]....I've done it a few times myself [msnembarrased])for some reason and you inadvertently go through the open road transponder section in error ....which can easily be done.

Either way you need to have full details of the time/date and exact place.