Starting on August 21 the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority will collect higher tolls for vehicles that do not have a transponder or when the transponder is not properly mounted.

For passenger vehicles, the toll will increase from 83 cents (for Rhode Island residents) and 91 cents (for non-resident E-ZPass users) to $4. RITBA installed and operates state of the art electronic open road tolling equipment (ORT) at the Newport Pell Bridge. This technology provides ease of use for motorists and provides efficiency and lower cost for the Authority. This digital computerized system reads the transponder and automatically generates the toll. If a vehicle does not have a transponder or the transponder is improperly mounted the backup license plate recognition system is employed. This backup system is not fully automated, as RITBA staff must review photographs of the license plates. This is a time consuming and labor-intensive process, which is more costly than the fully automated transponder reads according to a release.

Not having a properly mounted transponder also creates safety concerns. RITBA staff has witnessed distracted drivers who while approaching the open road tolling, hunt through their vehicle for their transponder and wave it close to the windshield to try and have the electronic equipment read of the transponder. This creates a very unsafe situation.

Those needing assistance with mounting a transponder or additional mounting strips can contact the E-ZPass office at 1-877-

743-9727. Instructions to properly mount a transponder can also be found online at www.ezpassritba.com under the FAQ section.