‘What Do You Mean?’: Woman Drives Car With Florida SunPass In Peach Pass Lane. Then She Gets A Rude Awakening

If your commute involves a long drive, chances are rather high that you frequently encounter toll roads.

Sometimes these roads are a necessity. Other times, toll roads are simply expressways that allow drivers to skip traffic for a fee.

No matter what kind of toll road one uses, the price of utilizing these roads over time can be astronomical.

Many drivers ease the toll-paying process by buying into their state’s open road tolling program. However, an easy misunderstanding about this program can end up costing drivers a lot of money, as one woman recently learned.

How Does Georgia’s Peach Pass Work?

In a video with over 25,000 views, TikTok creator Alex Lanier (@move.withalex) says that a simple mistake may have cost her partner’s family a substantial amount of money.

According to Lanier, her partner’s car has a SunPass for Florida, which also works on Georgia’s Peach Pass system. 

Seeing that her partner had this, Lanier used the lanes as often as possible.

“I thought that if you had a Peach Pass or a SunPass or whatever it is, you pay a monthly subscription where you can ride in this lane as much as you want,” she explains.

While she notes that there is a posted cost associated with using the lane, she says she assumed it was for those without a Peach Pass. It was only later when Lanier was discussing the issue with a friend when she realized her error.

“Yesterday I'm talking to my friend, and she's like, ‘Well, why don't you just get a Peach Pass?’ ‘I don't wanna pay a monthly subscription. Don't charge me to drive to work.’ And she's like, ‘What do you mean? You don't pay a monthly subscription,’” Lanier recalls.

“I'm like, ‘Then how does it work?’ And she was like, ‘It's literally free, and it only charges you when you use it,’” she continues. “Excuse me? It only charges you when you use it?”

Lanier concludes the video by apologizing to her partner’s parents for making excessive use of the pass.

“I've been cruising in that lane 'cause I thought you guys paid a monthly subscription, and I was trying to get your money's worth,” she says. “And you'll catch me staying in my lane—staying in my broke lane, waiting in traffic.”

Is This Really How It Works?

The true operation of the Peach Pass mostly matches the description provided by Lanier’s friend.

According to the Peach Pass website, getting the Peach Pass transponder is free. After that, one must add $20 of credit to open a Personal Toll Account. Every time they use the Peach Pass lane, money is deducted from that credit. If funds are insufficient, money will automatically be added to the user’s account with the card on file. 

This is comparable to traffic passes from other states. For example, North Carolina’s Quick Pass requires users to sign up for an account and make an initial deposit, from which tolls are deducted. The same can be said for E-Z Pass, which operates in several states.

In an email, the State Road and Tollway Authority of Georgia directed Motor1 readers to the Peach Pass FAQ. They also noted that feedback is accepted on the Peach Pass website, and that the organization’s partnership with E-Z Pass, Southeast and Central Interoperability hubs was rolled out with a massive public information campaign across numerous channels.

It’s A Common Misconception

Confusion about systems like these are common. There’s even some evidence that a portion of people avoid toll lanes altogether due to confusion around billing.

On Reddit, there are countless threads from users asking how exactly their local system works. Some seek general information; others are confused about tolls they’ve received and how using their state’s pass system will affect those tolls. Some users have also voiced concerns about how these tolls work in rental cars.

In general, if one is confused about their state’s toll program, it’s best to seek answers from the company providing your state’s open road tolling service. A directory of such services can be found here.

Commenters Wish It Was A Subscription

In the comments section, several users stated that a version of the toll pass like what was described by Lanier would be preferable to the current system.

“No cause it should be monthly!” exclaimed a user.

“No honestly as someone from a state that doesn’t have anything like this, that is a logical assumption!” shared a second.

Many commenters also confessed that they believed this was how the system worked.

“Well, I guess I learned something new at the ripe age of 30,” said a commenter.

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“So I also thought all of this,” echoed another. “lol thank you for enlightening me.”

We’ve reached out to the Florida Department of Transportation via email, and Lanier via email and Instagram direct message. This article will be updated if either responds.

 

 

 

 

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