Got transponder fatigue? New tollway stickers are now at customer service centers, coming to Jewel and online in February

I-PASS users looking to upgrade their hard-case transponders can now replace them with new sticker tags, Illinois tollway leaders said Friday.

Sticker tags are currently available for I-PASS users at tollway customer service centers including the Downers Grove headquarters and at oases.

In early February, stickers will be offered at Jewel-Osco stores or online at illinoistollway.com. Visitors to the Chicago Auto Show can also pick one up at the tollway’s booth Feb. 10-19.

The new technology is cheaper and smaller than the original boxes and reflects an industry-wide shift, officials said.

“I-Pass sticker tags mark the latest development in toll collection,“ Executive Director Cassaundra Rouse said at a board meeting.

“Sticker tags have been adopted by toll agencies across the country and we’re just really excited” to bring the new technology to customers, she said.

The upgrade is free and totally optional, officials noted. The tollway is gradually phasing in the new devices and I-PASS customers will not be required to switch if they have a working transponder.

The stickers will work in other states that are part of the E-ZPASS coalition, which the tollway belongs to.

“The introduction of I-Pass sticker tags is being done in coordination with other E-ZPASS agencies and will ensure in 2024 that our customers have continuity and service wherever they travel in the 19 states that are part of the E-ZPASS consortium,” Rouse said.

Unlike transponders that are battery-operated, stickers use radio frequency identification.

Another important distinction is that once placed on a windshield, sticker tags should not be removed or the device will stop working.

Drivers used to removing transponders for rental vehicles can add the additional vehicle temporarily to their I-PASS account, officials said.

There is no deposit required for sticker tags. The original $10 hard-case transponder deposit will be transferred into I-PASS customers’ prepaid toll accounts once the sticker tag is registered to it.

As for transponders, the tollway recommends recycling the devices because they contain batteries. To find locations that accept transponders, go to search.earth911.com, then type in your zip code and search for lithium-ion batteries.