Beginning this month, The Toll Roads of Orange County are mailing 15,000 new sticker transponders per weekday to FasTrak® accountholders to replace the hard-case transponders currently in use. The new transparent, bandage-size transponder is free and adheres to the inside of a windshield to collect tolls.
Communication began in April, notifying more than 650,000 FasTrak accountholders of the approaching introduction of sticker transponders by sending an informational postcard and issuing new license agreements. Customers will receive one sticker transponder for each vehicle listed on the account.
Equipped with state-mandated technology, the new sticker transponder works on all California’s toll bridges, lanes and roads and may eventually be used nationwide. The Toll Roads are the first tolling agency in the state to make the transition to sticker transponders and allows The Toll Roads to simplify payment options for its more than 1.5 million accountholders.
FasTrak customers continue to pay tolls automatically from a pre-established, prepaid account. And beginning in October 2019, FasTrak customers can choose to “Pay as You Go” and have tolls charged to a credit card as they are incurred. Starting July 1, The Toll Roads are also eliminating TCA’s monthly account maintenance fee for FasTrak accounts – a potential average savings of nearly $50 per year.
Here’s what to remember when you receive your new sticker transponder in the mail:
- Adhere the sticker transponder to your windshield – Follow the mounting instructions on the sticker packaging or website TheTollRoads.com/sticker.
- Don’t adjust the sticker transponder – Moving or adjusting it once adhered will cause it to break and become unusable. If this happens, a replacement can be ordered online or via The Toll Roads app.
- Recycle your old transponder – If you have an old standard hard-case FasTrak transponder, you can dispose of it the way you would a battery. But, if you carpool on designated express lanes throughout California, keep using your switchable FasTrak transponder to be eligible for carpool discounts.
Orange County’s 51-miles of Toll Roads make up the largest network of toll roads in California. The 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads remain the fastest, easiest and most predictable way to get to and through Orange County.
The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) are two joint powers authorities formed by the California legislature in 1986 to plan, finance, construct and operate Orange County’s public toll road system. Fifty-one miles of the system are complete, including the 73, 133, 241 and 261 Toll Roads. TCA continues to meet the region’s growing need for congestion-free transportation alternatives.
