mark iv

Mark IV the exclusive supplier of readers and tags to the E-ZPass Inter Agency Group (IAG) since its inception in the early 1990s is now offering a multi-protocol reader (MPR) that will also read the new sticker tags from rivals TransCore, Sirit and Neology - the ISO 18000 6B (eGo Plus) and 6C tag protocols - that are sweeping pikes in the South.

Attendees at the ITS America annual conference at National Harbor Maryland say they are very encouraged by  Obama administration officials' interest in road pricing and other ITS technologies. Ken Philmus, ITSA board member and a toll industry veteran now with ACS, says US officials have been attending the conference and inviting ITS people in large numbers.

Mark IV, manufacturers of E-ZPass transponders and readers for the E-ZPass Inter Agency Group (IAG) members claim that rivals TransCore are violating several of their patents on the Greenville Southern Connector.

Mark IV Industries major automobile-related businesses have filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in federal bankruptcy court in New York City. This is the big brother to the Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems division of Mark IV Industries that makes electronic toll systems, notably the transponders and readers for the E-ZPass Inter Agency Group.

Mark IV are announcing a transponder with lights and tones to provide feedback to motorists on whether their toll is properly paid, or their balance is low. A transponder with feedback is a requirement in the new E-ZPass procurement being conducted by the Inter Agency Group of 23 toll agencies in the north of the US and midwest.

Soon after their official announcement of a dual mode reader named Janus (5.9GHz and 915MHz) Mark IV are saying they've developed a dual mode antenna combining bidirectional 5.9GHz signaling and a GPS signal receiver.

Mark IV Industries, dominant in North America with their 915MHz E-ZPass toll systems, are announcing a dual-mode reader and claiming success in extensive on-road tests of 5.9GHz equipment. These have been conducted on highways set up with roadside equipment in the western suburbs of Detroit. The tests were part of the Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) program, a joint effort of many leading companies and government entities that has been going on for about five years.

Michael Ascher says the IAG did not capitulate to the special interests of the Garden State Parkway or any others in choosing Mark IV back in March 1994. He says cost was a major factor in Mark IV being given the sole source contract rather than the favorite going in, Amtech. Ascher was chairman of the executive committee meeting that decided the contract March 18 1994 in the Robert Moses Building of the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority on a snowy Friday evening.

The ownership by the toll agency is usually spelled out in the agreement the motorist signs when opening a transponder account.

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