Port Authority Green Pass program

[SparrowHawk60]

Originally Posted by Boo

I applied for the Port Authority Green Pass last week. My current white EZPass says "MTA Bridges and Tunnels" (and not NY&NJ Port Authority). I hope they don't use this purely ministerial factoid (all I had done many years ago was to apply for an EZPass ... didn't know anything about different issuing agencies) to trip up and deny my Green Pass application.

Oh Dear Tom, Please say you didn't involve a third agency in the process of obtaining a Green Pass!
I haven't found anything about the MTA offering a discounted Green Pass, and the way I understand it they don't offer one. The Green Pass is only issued by two agency's: The NYS Thruway Authority and the Port Authority of NY and NJ. They are TWO DIFFRENT Green Passes! One will not work in place of the other.
In other words you'd need both the B.A. and T.A. authority pass for discounts on the Bridges/Tunnels and then the Thruway. Neither pass (T.A. or B.A. is combined with any other type of discount plan-s.
I wish you the best of luck in obtaining your Green Pass, our Prius now has two passes, one Green, one White; what ever one is not being used has to be kept in a special bag that will come with the Green Pass.

Who is my E-ZPass account with?
To help determine where your E-ZPass account is based, please note the following:

If your E-ZPass tag starts with 005, your account is with the Port Authority.

If your E-ZPass tag starts with 004, your account is with the NYS Thruway Authority.

If your E-ZPass tag starts with 008, your account is with the MTA Bridges & Tunnels.

If your E-ZPass tag starts with 022, your account is with the New Jersey E-ZPass.

If your E-ZPass tag starts with a different number, please call the number on the front of your tag.


Of course none of this is to be confused with the Clean Pass, which is another headache altogether!

[Boo]

All I want is the Port Authority Green Pass. I just hope they don't deny me one on the grounds that my current white EZPass is technically MTA issued, and not PA issued.

But I'm not optimistic. I think they're gonna make me jump through the hoop of first getting a PA issued white EZPass before applying for and getting the PA Green Pass. Then I'll have three EZPasses (MTA white, PA white and PA green) but only one car.

These guys are like credit card companies. I remember going to a Yankees spring training game, and there were credit card companies there offering a free t-shirt if you applied for their credit card. Sounded enticing to me. But I turned them down after trying to figure out which of these things I needed less -- another t-shirt or another credit card.

[SparrowHawk60]

Originally Posted by Boo

...But I'm not optimistic. I think they're gonna make me jump through the hoop of first getting a PA issued white EZPass before applying for and getting the PA Green Pass. Then I'll have three EZPasses (MTA white, PA white and PA green) but only one car....

Oh, are you a Yankees fan? Sorry! Having been born in Flushing, guess who I'm a fan of?

Now I maybe wrong (it happened once before, but I was mistaken) you'll have to establish a P.A. account before they will issue a P.A. Green Pass to you.
Again, if I'm not mistaken from what I've researched, you'll only need the Green Pass from the P.A. That is unless youhave some other type of plan on the MTA pass. In that case you can transfer some of the plans to the P.A. pass. (IE Thruway discounts, except Green Pass) The Green Pass is only going to save you a few bucks during off peak hours.
" The cash toll is $8 for passenger vehicles.
The toll for passenger vehicles using E-ZPass is $6 for off-peak travel and $8 in peak hours, providing a greater discount for off-peak use.
Qualified low-emission vehicles are eligible to receive a Port Authority (PA) Green Pass discount of $4 during off-peak hours. Click here for more info on the Green Pass.
The Port Authority's Carpool Plan toll is $2. This plan provides a discount for non-commercial vehicles with three or more occupants. Customers with pre-registered E-ZPass accounts can take advantage of this discount plan at all hours by using a staffed “E-ZPass/Cash” lane and coming to a complete stop so the toll collector can confirm the number of occupants in the vehicle. To enroll in the Carpool Plan, please call or visit either the New York or New Jersey E-ZPass Customer Service Center. Click here for contact information. "


"9. Q: Is the Port Authority Green Pass valid everywhere E-ZPass is accepted?
A: The Port Authority Green Pass is an E-ZPass that may be used at any crossing or road that accepts E-ZPass as a form of toll payment. However, unlike the white "regular" E-ZPass tag, Port Authority Green Pass users pay only $4 when they use their tag at Port Authority crossings during off-peak hours. The Port Authority Green Pass is accepted at all crossings and roads that accept E-ZPass, however, the Port Authority Green Pass discount only applies to Port Authority crossings.
Port Authority E-ZPass account holders who drive qualifying vehicles can request that the Green Pass Discount Plan be added to their account.... "

[SparrowHawk60]

Clean pass stickers are on the way to me..
I'll let you all know about them when they arrive.

[Boo]

Originally Posted by SparrowHawk60

Oh, are you a Yankees fan? Sorry! Having been born in Flushing, guess who I'm a fan of?

Lol I think I'm the one that should be feeling sorry for you ... the greatest collapse in Major League Baseball history.

BTW, I went to a 1969 World Series game (the game where Ron Swoboda made a great diving catch) with my two brothers, one of whom is a Mutts fan and who now lives in ... Newburgh.

Originally Posted by SparrowHawk60

Now I maybe wrong (it happened once before, but I was mistaken) you'll have to establish a P.A. account before they will issue a P.A. Green Pass to you. Again, if I'm not mistaken from what I've researched, you'll only need the Green Pass from the P.A....

Yeah, I know. I just think it's rediculous that I already have a white EZPass, but nonetheless have to now apply for two P.A. EZPasses in order to get the one EZPass (the P.A. Green Pass) that I want. To me, that's a waste of effort and taxpayer monies. Not to mention that it leaves an unnecessary carbon footprint in order to get, ironically, a Green Pass.

[Bababooey]

Originally Posted by Boo

Lol I think I'm the one that should be feeling sorry for you ... the greatest collapse in Major League Baseball history.

The downfall of the '07 Mets may have been the greatest collapse in Major League Baseball history, but the Yankees loss to the Red Sox in the '04 ALCS after being up 3-0 was the greatest choke in professional sports history!

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Now getting back on topic...

The Clean Pass Program is a pilot program which allows qualifying hybrids registered in New York State to drive in the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes of the Long Island Expressway in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

Since these Clean Pass stickers are issued free of charge and all it takes to sign up for the program is a toll-free call to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, I encourage everyone who owns a qualifying hybrid (2001-2008 Toyota Prius, 2003-2008 Honda Civic Hybrid, and the 2000-2004 Honda Insight) registered in New York State to call 1-800-697-0558 and apply!

You don't have to put the stickers on your car unless you plan on driving in the HOV lanes of the L.I.E. with only one person!

Besides, when have you heard of any government agency offering anything to the driving public for free?

As for the Green Pass Program, that's another story! I was told by someone who works in the legal department of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey that the only reason the Green Pass Program was created was to make recent toll increases more palatable to the public.

They deliberately make it as difficult as possible for hybrid owners to obtain these Green Passes because they really don't want people getting them. Remember, we're dealing with the Port Authority here... This is the same powerful organization that was allowed to circumvent the NYC Building Codes when the World Trade Center was built in the late '60s and early '70s. They are a law unto themselves, and they basically do whatever they want to.

As I said in a prior post, I have applied for a Port Authority issued Green Pass. If my application is rejected, or if they try to give me the run around, I will write letters to the Chairman of the Port Authority as well as to the Governor of the State of New York.

[Boo]

Boy, those Clean Passes (and other states' HOV stickers) are ugly. Talk about clashing with the looks of the Gen II Prius (but I don't think they clash with the Gen I). But I think I'll get them anyway to keep inside my car. And then I'll just pull them out and stick them on the bumpers on an as needed basis, using gaffers tape or ordinary double sided tape.

[SparrowHawk60]

Originally Posted by Boo

Boy, those Clean Passes (and other states' HOV stickers) are ugly. Talk about clashing with the looks of the Gen II Prius (but I don't think they clash with the Gen I). But I think I'll get them anyway to keep inside my car. And then I'll just pull them out and stick them on the bumpers on an as needed basis, using gaffers tape or ordinary double sided tape.

Tom, funny you mentioned it. I saw a white Prius today in Poughkeepise with the California HOV stickers on it. I am in total, 100% agreement that they are ugly as a $1 hooker! You'd think with all the tree hugging Calli folks they could come up with a better looking sticker! These horrendous things are also huge, and take up a good part of the back bumper. (Before some starts in on, it's that way for the enforcement agencies to see, BLA BLA BLA, yeah no kidding!) Damned things almost make New York's look pretty, but they are a sight better looking. I haven't received mine yet, so I don't know how big they are.

OFF TOPIC: METS, RED SOX, Orioles, any them (with the added exception of the TEXASS teams) is better than being a Scankees fan!

[Boo]

Originally Posted by SparrowHawk60

... the California HOV stickers ... I am in total, 100% agreement that they are ugly as a $1 hooker!

Lol, where would I find one? The parking lot at Shea?

[SparrowHawk60]

Originally Posted by Boo

Lol, where would I find one? The parking lot at Shea?

Yeah, they'll be easy to spot, they have Yankee caps on!