Just a quick question- am I able to bring my toll tag and use it to drive through a toll in a car that it's not registered to? I suspect yes, under the assumption that those toll gates are only scanning for the tag and not a numberplate.
Thanks for your help.
No you can't
Yes you can. We've been doing it for years.
What state are you in?
Qld. Our toll tags work Australia wide though
I know very little about Toll Roads, but I'd expect that you'd need to assosciate the tag to the Number Plate before going through the Toll Gate.
Otherwise, how can the system match tag to vehicle to ensure that all vehicles have paid?
No, the only benefit of linking a car to a tag is that if a vehicle passes through with no tag or it doesn't have funds or had no battery, they take a photo and send a bill to the registered address of the car based on the license plate.
This bill will be a little less if it is a linked car, but more if there is no linked tag.
Eg when I was had my first car and didn't use toll roads that much/leeching off my parents, instead of getting my own tag I just added my rego plate to my dad's tag account and it would be charged to his account. The tag always stayed in my dad's car.
Cool, so they can detect the tag down to a specific lane?
ie 2 cars go through the gate simultaneously, but only 1 tag goes off, they must be able to determine which car had the tag?
In my mind, they'd take a photo of every number plate, OCR them and then match the Number Plate records to the Tag records.. but the system sounds better than I expected.
Yes, toll detection is different to speed/red light cameras.
I've done it in the past. No real problems.
Since I did not affix it to the cars windshield (it was just on the dash) one of the toll gates between Sydney and Canberra missed it — so I just jumped online and paid for the toll against the new car's licence plate that was outstanding.
Technology these days.
Otherwise, how can the system match tag to vehicle
The tag has its own code identifier that matches it with an account, So you can use a tag in any car but just make sure it beeps when you go under the toll bridge or your number plate will be recorded and you will have to pay online (or a fine if not!)
I also recently used GoGet and they warned against bringing your own tag because they came with one, the risk being both tags would be debited.
I work for a Toll Road company, technically you can not do this. If the tag is missed being detected you will receive a Toll invoice in the mail for travel with the car as well as be charged through your tag. I strongly recommend against this
If the tag is missed being detected you will receive a Toll invoice in the mail for travel with the car as well as be charged through your tag
How can that happen?
The worst that can happen is the toll gates don't pick up the tag and take a photo of the OP's number plate. OP then has 48 hours to go online and pay the toll manually. That's worst case scenario.
Alternatively you are suggesting OP open a new account with tolling operator, deposit $40, wait for new tag to arrive in the mail, then use new tag to drive on tollway. At which point if the toll gates don't pick up the OP's new tag they will take a photo of their number plate. OP then has 48 hours to go online and pay the toll manually anyway!
Hi Tom, the way the tolling system works is the tolling point detects a tag. If the system confirms the tag is in the correct type of vehicle i.e Car for a Car no photo is taken. However when people put their tags on the dash you generally find the tag will detect at some points and a photo will be taken at others. When a tag is detected the account will be billed, when the tag isn't detected a photo will be taken. We have no way of aligned the tag and non tag portions of travel which leads to a bill being generated when a LPN isn't linked. yes OP could buy a pass but if his tag has been detected he will pay for the Tag part through his tag and then the rest through his pass leading to duplicate charges. I work for a Victorian toll road so it may be different in NSW/QLD
We always recommend linking the car to save paying extra
@slimdavy5: No I didn't say he should open another account, you can just add the LPN to your account, takes about 2 minutes by going online, if you have added the LPN you can put the tag in the car if you so wish.
And this is the reason I love ozbargain :)
As others have noted, yes no problems, we do this all of the time…the only thing I would suggest is holding the tag up to the windscreen oriented in a rough approximation of it being affixed…this just ensures that it is picked up correctly each time, because sometimes they do get missed if you have them upside down on the dash or in the glovebox/console/lap/pocket etc. :)
I was going to just sit and watch this one but thought I might add my 2c worth.
1) if you have an etag and it beeps you get charged whatever the toll is
2) if you have an etag and it doesn't beep AND you HAVE linked the numberplate of your car to the etag - you get charged toll + small photo recognition fee. This recognition fee does apply to motorcycles.
3) If you have an etag and it doesn't beep and you HAVE NOT linked the numberplate of the car to your etag - The owner of the car gets charged toll + larger admin fee. You will be given a time period to pay.
4) if you have 2 etags in your car OR your car is on a tow truck - likely you will be charged the toll twice - once for each etag.
Sitting on the second etag may or may not prevent it from being detected.
AND
IF you are a motorcycle and regularly use the harbour bridge or tunnel - consider saving $$$
https://www.myrta.com/wps/portal/extvp/myrta/etoll/motorcycl…
4) if you have 2 etags in your car OR your car is on a tow truck - likely you will be charged the toll twice - once for each etag.
Sitting on the second etag may or may not prevent it from being detected.
So I guess a tinfoil hat for the etag is needed. Maybe a biscuit box will do in a pinch.
For item 2 I have a funny story.
My wife used to cross the harbour bridge in the morning daily. She noticed after a while her tag didn't beep specifically in one lane. She thought she was getting through free. When she got her tag bill, they charged her a fee for each time that she went through that lane. She called and asked for the extra fees to be refunded, because it must have been broken, but they refused, saying there was no evidence it was broken. You would think her tag history in addition to EVERYONE ELSE'S would be enough, but no.
She just avoided that lane from then on. I assume they fixed it by now…was a few year ago.
I recall reading about this in the news - a few lanes had dodgy detectors and where slugging motorists with photo detection fees because their technology wasn't working. Once saw a 4WD driving towards the city on the Bradfield, but then jump over the median strip int the cahil at 70km/h just before the southern pylons to avoid paying the toll.
Yeah, I think that time I got a photo detection fee was due to a dodgy lane. I was worried it was a dodgy tag but the next time I used the tag the charge was correct.
add the car to your account its simple to do.
You can have the vehicle under the tag or even listed without a tag (for only video match service)
you can delete the car later if you need.
They go by licence plate and tag.
This is the case in sydney as well.
Simpler (and cheaper) to move to WA - no toll roads
Ok so what happens if you have a truck and the toll costs $11.46 , so you put the e-tag from the car in the truck, what will the charge be?
Isn't that the same question as the OPs with truck substituted for car?
Yes but car costs $4 and truck costs $11.
Yes, so just like with another car it depends on whether the camera picks up the truck rego and compares it with the tag, and applies the relevant charge for the truck.
Wow, thanks for all the responses, didn't mean to start any debates.
I put it on the dash in the car this morning (before I saw the advice about holding it up to the windshield), drove through the toll and it beeped as usual, so it looks like it worked for now.
It'd be good if there was an FAQ for this on a toll website so we wouldn't have to argue about it, but here we are.
This is the link to the Queensland FAQs
I am sure there are similar guides for other States.
https://www.govia.com.au/web/ssp/how-do-i-add-change-a-vehic…
Yeah I just wanted to know if you could bring a tag in a different car just for a single trip without having to go through the process of adding and then deleting the rego on the website.
Yes you can