IAG

Jim Crawford, the blunt spoken executive-director of the E-ZPass Inter Agency Group (IAG) will step down from his position at the country's leading electronic toll collection cooperative when his employment contract expires in late May 2010. The search has begun for his successor.

Georgia toll authority's I-85 HOT lanes procurement saw three companies bidding sticker tag transponders at $1.59 (TransCore), $1.79 (Neology) and $3.05 (Sirit). These are far and away the lowest prices ever bid for toll transponders in the US. The prices are for ISO 18000 6C (EPC GEN2) standard tags (6C), never to our knowledge specified before in any US toll procurement and never before offered by vendors.

TransCore have their eye on the huge E-ZPass Inter Agency Group (IAG) recompete - or its collapse - with bold announcements today that they have added a straight existing-IAG standard transponder to their current product line, plus added 5.9GHz add-on capability to the Encompass 6, their main reader offering.

We love headlines with the verb qualifier "may."   "Mark IV may lose east coast deal" reads the headline in the New York Post today about the Great Belated Protracted and Beleaguered Recompete of E-ZPass technology.

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.

Last August one midday a large white Cadillac driven by two old ladies came cruising down the Southern Connector tollroad in Greenville South Carolina at about 75mph (120km/hr) and, without slowing, ran into a coin machine lane at the mainline East Plaza. The Caddy clipped the curb and spun crushing an equipment cabinet housing lane controllers and Mark IV reader equipment for three lanes.

Highway Toll Administration LLC (HTA) is offering motorists who rent cars in the E-ZPass IAG area through Travelocity a transponder rental by mail. Modeled on the Netflix DVD rental program transponders and called TravelPass if the car renter books a car through Trevelocity and chooses an "Add a Toll Device" option they will be mailed a transponder branded TravelPass along with installation instructions and a self-addressed postage-paid bag for its return.

Highway Toll Administration LLC (HTA) an electronic toll services company and Avis Budget car rental group announced an agreement with toll system supplier TransCore today to promote its 'eZGo Anywhere' transponder. A headline on the press release suggests the multiprotocol transponder is being rolled out now (see full text below). However a roll-out requires a transponder to be tested and accepted by toll authorities, and this has not occurred.

A class action lawsuit has been filed against the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority over its denial of transponder discounts to E-ZPass drivers that it grants to users of its own transponder branded FAST LANE.

TransCore has released a multiprotocol transponder that apparently can meet the E-ZPass/IAG specifications. The hardcase transponder brandnamed eZGo Anywhere or just eZGo can operate as an active transponder in IAG E-ZPass mode, and it also responds as a passive tag in the ATA mode as used in Oklahoma and Dallas TX, while also performing like a sticker tag with the Super eGo protocol as deployed in Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Washington state.

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.

The Gore on the minds of many in the toll industry these days is Lynn, not Al. Lynn Gore keeps sending out mysterious Addendums to 07-IAG-2782 that are the source of great speculation and rumor about "what's going on" with the huge E-ZPass transponder system recompete. 07-IAG-2782 is formally termed "Furnish and provide Electronic Toll Collection Technology and Associated Subsystem Components and Services for the Operation of the E-ZPass System."

Mark IV is well positioned to win the E-ZPass recompete. Close analysis of the Request For Proposals (RFP) from the E-ZPass Inter Agency Group (IAG) indicates it will be difficult for competitors to put up competitive bids. Indeed implementing any new technology from the existing Mark IV transponders will be tough.

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.

Fourteen years ago on March 18 1994 on a snowy Friday afternoon there was a David vs Goliath battle at the Triborough Authority's head offices on Randall's Island in New York's East River. The chief executives of seven northeastern toll agencies comprising the Inter Agency Group (IAG) met to vote on whether to give Amtech or Mark IV the big E-ZPass electronic toll systems contract.

It's on, at last. The Inter Agency Group for E-ZPass is recompeting the world's largest and most complex electronic toll system. Advertisements requesting proposals are being placed and the RFP documents will be available electronically from Monday March 24. The deadline for submission of proposals is July 18 2008.

Illinois Tollway are strongly protesting commuter discounts planned on the Indiana Toll Road when transponder tolling begins later this year. Under present plans the ITR concession company will only offer discounts to holders of Indiana I-Zoom accounts, not to motorists with Illinois' I-PASS or eastern states E-ZPass accounts and transponders.

Eric Christianson from the New York State Thruway is an interim CEO of IAG since Barta has left, but he won’t be seeking the permanent job.

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