Could your I-PASS be welcomed in more states?

It works in Maine but not in Oklahoma. It's welcomed in Pennsylvania but not in parts of Florida.

The uneven reception Illinois I-PASS transponders get across the U.S. could be broadened if a test program is successful, tollway officials said Wednesday.

The agency will work with the Alliance for Toll Interoperability in the coming months to exchange information and data, such as license plates, so that cars with I-PASS transponders could pass through toll systems that ATI represents without having to pay cash.

"It's truly a pilot and a testing time," Executive Director Kristi Lafleur said. "We're very, very early in this. We think this testing phase will take at least a year."

ATI members include toll agencies in Florida, Oklahoma, California and Texas to name a few. "It's a large network and potentially exciting," Lafleur said.

The tollway already belongs to the E-ZPass Group, a coalition of 25 toll organizations across 15 states. The Illinois tollway coordinates with E-ZPass so that I-PASSes work in other member states such as Ohio, Indiana, New York, New Jersey, Maine and Virginia.

ATI counts about 40 different agencies as members.

License plate information exchanged with ATI would be limited to the plate number and not include registered owners, officials said.

The tollway board will vote next week on a two-year agreement with ATI costing $300,000. The move is part of a federal mandate requiring more interoperability among toll agencies.