Port Authority Green Pass program

I would like to know if my NYS Thruway green EZ Pass would qualify me.

 

This page provides toll & contact info for the Port Authority.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey - Bridges

 

I wonder if they will take pictures everytime its used to see if its on the correct vehicle. Some times we use our crv across the bridge.

 

I just got my new NYS Thruway green EZ Pass in the mail. Very nice, very green. Should get the usual bridge discounts plus 10% off thruway tolls. I'm not sure what the reporter was referencing, if not this pass...

 

I just went to the Newark EZ Pass office to get a Green Pass only to learn that New Jersey is NOT offering the Green Pass. Boo hiss! So I wrote to the Gov. and my State Rep... not much else I think I can do.

Can NJ residents who use the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels apply for the NY Green Pass?? Methinks not, but if anyone from NJ has an NY EZ Pass, do chime in.

Cheers!

 

That's odd. The Port Authority rules for the Green Pass that Jim linked above says that it applies to all Port Authority crossings. They even provide info for one NY and one NJ walk in center to apply for the Green Pass.

 

Doesn't look that way:
"The Port Authority Green Pass is an E-Z Pass that may be used at any crossing or road that accepts E-Z Pass as a form of toll payment. However, unlike the white "regular" E-Z Pass 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-Z Pass, however, the Port Authority Green Pass discount only applies to Port Authority crossings."
So any bridge north of the George Washington will not be discounted. (NYS Bridge Authority) Tolls on the NYS Thruway will not be discounted. (NYS Thruway Authority) E-Z Pass does offer commuter discounts.
My thoughts on the matter:
I'm going to apply for one. For vanity reasons alone, this pass will match my Silver Pine Mica a bit better than the white one. I have three E-Z passes, the Prius is the one car that will be used most and currently has a commuter pass in it, the pass will be easier to identify now that it will be green. The more of us New Yorkers who apply for this pass, will hopefully show the State that there is an interest in "Green Car Folks" saving a little pocket change. Maybe with enough interest we could lobby to have the discounts intended further to the north.
I enjoy using my E-Z Pass while traveling to Cape Cod, Mass. and south to Rehobeth Beach, Del. It's saved us a tremendos amount of time on some trips. The E-Z Pass speed lanes are fantastic, you can go right through them at highway speed!

 

I cannot find any restrictions nor any requirements that you have to be a NY resident or have your vehicle registered in NY to obtain an NY E-Z pass on any of the E-Z Pass web sites.
I know I've used my NY E-Z pass while traveling on the Garden State Parkway without any problems.
It is by the way The New York and New Jersey Port Authority.

 

When I first got an ez pass it was from NY (Port Authority), even though I was living in DC at the time. They didn't care where I lived. I used it at the tolls on I95 in MD and DE, the Delaware Memorial Bridge, the NJ Turnpike and various bridges in NYC.

After a few years they started to charge a monthly fee, and meanwhile down here in Virginia they made the Smarttag program compatible with ezpass and there was no fee for it, so I turned in the ezpass and got a smarttag instead.

 

I applied for the Green Pass and was rejected. The application address is in Staten Island. There is no address in New Jersey to send the application.

Quote:
"However, we are unable to proceed with your request because, at this time, Green Passes are not (sic)are not available to New Jersey E-ZPass account holders."

I can understand the NY Thruway Authority restricting users, but I cannot understand The Port Authority of New York AND NEW JERSEY declining this request.

I will be on a writing campaign as well.


Rob

 

Rob, please do keep us informed! Thank you!
As nice as this little perk from New York State seems to be, there are some hurdles you have to jump over. "They" don't really seem to want the Green Pass to be an easy thing to acquire!
I can't see any reasonable aspect why NYS wouldn't want folks from other states using the Green Pass. Wouldn't the car being driven be driven in NYS or NYC at the time? Wouldn't it help to cut down emissions?
I was told over the phone not to apply for my Green Pass until I receive my permanent registration from NYS DMV! In other words, the window sticker with the bar code! That could take up to 45 days, part that gets to me is the plates on the car will not change! So why the wait? Then in this electronic age, you have to send a written letter! They're going to look up your information on a computer to check your EZ pass account and registration, why can't the request be done by Email?
No one has yet to explain the difference between the Port Authority pass and the Thruway pass! Or even if there is a difference! PA offers a discount on most of the City's bridges while the TW offers a discount on the Thruway. My on going questions are; does one Green Pass offer both? Will I still get my commuter discount? I don't want to have to give that up, I travel over the Mid Hudson Bridge every work day! Winds up being $.50 instead of a $1 with the plan. A monthly savings of $10, not a whole heck of a lot, but none the less a savings. (Rather have the $120 in my pocket, than the States.)
I've been very happy using the EZ pass, and the way things look, I might as well just hold on to what I'm using now.

 

My request for a Green Pass was mailed out over the weekend. (I received my permanent registration and my window sticker with the bar code.) In my mandatory application letter, I did ask a few questions I was unable to obtain answers for. I hope the powers to be will answer my questions before I accept the Green Pass.
Will the Thruway pass offer the Port Authority discount at the George Washington Bridge?
Will I be able to retain my commuter discount that I now have when I get my Green Pass? (This program is for the New York State Bridge Authority and cover the bridges north of the Tappan zee.)
We shall see.... __________________

 

Rob, All you have to do is to apply fo EZ-Pass account at Welcome To E-ZPass. After your account is activated, send them a letter (I'll get back later with Fax #) requesting a Green Pass , along with a copy of your NJ registartion. As soon as you receive your new green tag, write letter to EZ-Pass of NJ -to cancel your NJ account.
I'm crossing GWB at 5:50am every weekday-savings.. $88.00 a month.
Good Luck!

Edit: P.S. You will have to return all NJ tags . All adm./monthly fees are the same in NY.

 

I live in Upstate New York, but since I travel on the New York State Thruway and occasionally to Central New Jersey and Staten Island, I would like to obtain a Green Pass.

The other day, I called up the EZ Pass Customer Service telephone number for information about what I need to do to obtain a Green Pass. Since I don't currently have an EZ Pass account and I desire a Green Pass that will work on both the NYS Thruway Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's Hudson River crossings, I was told that I will first have to apply for a regular white EZ Pass from both agencies and then send separate letters along with a copies of my registration to both agencies (at the EZ Pass customer service facility in Staten Island) in order to obtain the Green Passes.

Is this ridiculous or what?

Why do they make the application process so difficult? I could see them requesting a copy of my vehicle registration, but why must I first obtain a regular EZ Pass? Also, if two agencies have Green Pass programs and the transponder is compatible with both agencies, why do I have to apply for two separate Green Pass accounts?

It seems to me that the EZ Pass people want to make it as difficult as possible for hybrid owners to take advantage of the Green Pass program!

 

New York State is impossible to deal with! This Green Pass E-Z pass is in no way easy to acquire. I did get mine today, along with a print out of my account which explains which pass goes with what car. I now have four of these lovely things!
Well, even though I have mailed NYS the changes I have made over the past few years, they still did not have my information correct! (I've changed three of my cars but kept the same Vanity Plates over the years.)
Went to the web site: WWW.e-zpassNY.com and again sent off my corrected information. I don't need a "violation notice" because the wrong tag is in the wrong car, or the car doesn't match the tag it's been issued.
New York State didn't answer any of the questions I asked when I sent my letter to request a Green Pass! That's really annoying, and further frustrates acquiring this "special pass"!
New York State is impossible to deal with! This Green Pass E-Z pass is in no way easy to acquire. I did get mine today, along with a print out of my account which explains which pass goes with what car. I now have four of these lovely things!
Well, even though I have mailed NYS the changes I have made over the past few years, they still did not have my information correct! (I've changed three of my cars but kept the same Vanity Plates over the years.)
Went to the web site: WWW.e-zpassNY.com and again sent off my corrected information. I don't need a "violation notice" because the wrong tag is in the wrong car, or the car doesn't match the tag it's been issued.
New York State didn't answer any of the questions I asked when I sent my letter to request a Green Pass! That's really annoying, and further frustrates acquiring this "special pass"!
I have found some of the information I've been looking for.
1) The Thruway Green Pass and the Port Authority Green Pass are two different and distinct Passes. You'd need both to get the bridge/tunnel discounts and the Thruway discounts. You'd need two separate accounts as well, one with the Port Authority and one with the Thruway Authority.
2) The Green Pass can not be combined with other discount plans!
So I now need two passes for my Prius. One is the Green Pass for the Thruway, the other is a regular white pass with the NYS Bridge plan.
Only time will tell if this pass has been worth the hassle of acquiring.
Maybe, and that's a huge maybe, NYS will get it's act together and start combining this passes. There is no reason why this can't be done, it's a simple radio transmitter that can be easily programmed. (Well maybe it's to simple? So put another transmitted in the tag housing!)
Good luck to those who wish to obtain this pass!

Some info: not found on the Green Pass site, but found on the E-Z pass site with some digging!
Plan Code: (GREEN) Thruway Green Pass Discount Plan**: Receive a special 10% discount on all Thruway facilities for Hybrid vehicles that get at least 45 miles to the gallon and meet specific emissions standards as outlined on the Authority’s website www.nysthruway.gov. Cannot be combined with commuter plans.
Plan Code: (PAGRN) Port Authority Green Pass Discount Plan**: Eligible vehicles receive a 50% discount off the cash toll rate during off-peak hours at all Port Authority crossings. A special green tag is issued to qualified vehicles that meet the specific emissions standards as outlined on the Port Authority's website at www.panynj.info
Plan Code: (NYSBA) - New York State Bridge Authority Discount Plan Receive a $0.50 discount ($0.50 versus the $1.00 cash rate) on the Rip Van Winkle, Kingston-Rhinecliff, Mid-Hudson, Newburgh- Beacon, and the Bear Mountain bridges. A minimum of 17 trips per month is required. If fewer than 17 trips are taken per month, you will be charged $0.50 for each trip not taken. This plan is assigned to a specific E-ZPass Tag.

 

No, they're just bureaucrats.

 

Re: PANYNJ/NYSTA Green Pass program

They may be bureaucrats, but they are also idiots!

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Hey EZ Pass people: Why bother to implement a so-called Green Pass if you are going to make it as difficult as possible for hybrid owners to apply for it?

I own a qualifying hybrid vehicle which is registered in New York State. I am willing to send you a copy of my vehicle registration so, through the VIN, you can verify that I am telling the truth. So why do you throw up all of these convoluted pre-conditions with a Kafkaesque application process in order to get a Green Pass?

Why can't the application process for the Green Pass be as easy as the process for applying for a NYS DMV/DEC/DOT Clean Pass? To get a Clean Pass, you simply call up the DMV, give them your plate number, and they send you (free of charge) four Clean Pass stickers so you can drive in the HOV lane of the Long Island Expressway with only one passenger!

 

Re: PANYNJ/NYSTA Green Pass program

If you want answers from the Thruway Authority, you're going to have to stop asking questions that contain words of more than five letters! Make sure if you write to them you type or write s l o w l y so they can read it without help. Pictures might help!
1) They make it difficult so most people will not bother to apply for the Green Pass!
2) I did get an unofficial answer why 'they' don't check the DMV Computer network. Some of the people who work at the E-Z pass office are ex-cons, on welfare or unemployment work programs. Thus someone wisely figured out there "could"/"maybe"/"might" be security breaches or abuse of the DMV system.
3) The Clean Pass is a whole different animal, run by another group of New York State's government. Maybe because it deals with Long Island instead of the whole state things are a bit easier? The people working there are smarter than the E-Z pass people? Someone knows what they are doing?

 

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.