Count me among those waiting until the last minute to get set up for tolling on I-405.
Tolling starts Sept. 27 on what are now HOV lanes on I-405 between Lynnwood and Bellevue.
And if you want to drive a toll lane free as a carpool or at the posted rate — versus paying $2 extra for getting billed in the mail — you’ll need a transponder and a Good To Go account that’s linked to it.
I sense a lot of readers right now are thinking, “Yeah, I should probably get on that…”
Talk about rush hour.
“We see a lot of peaking right before hand and right after (the launch of tolling) of people getting their accounts set up, people making sure they are ready to go,” said Craig Stone, assistant secretary for the Toll Division at the Washington State Department of Transportation.
It’s fair to say the call center at the Good To Go customer service center is fairly hectic these days. Expect wait times, especially around the lunch hour.
If you want a transponder in time for tolling, you’ll have to go to a retail outlet that sells them.
Select Walgreens, QFC and Fred Meyer stores will be selling sticker passes, Flex Passes, or both. But many stores last week did not have the transponders in stock yet or were still processing what they did have.
So unless you’re there for a gallon of milk anyway, be sure to call ahead. Keep in mind that customer service desk hours are sometimes different than store hours, too.
A list of retail locations is at www.wsdot.wa.gov/GoodToGo/retail.htm.
There are still free Flex Pass transponders available for those who carpool. But you’ll have to wait to get your transponder in the mail, and it won’t come in time for the start of tolling. Find out if you qualify and sign up at www.rideshareonline.com. Keep in mind that carpool rules are going up to three or more people in the vehicle for peak commute hours.
Just buying the pass is not enough, though.
You’ll also have to set up a Good To Go account, fill it with $30, and link it to your transponder(s). You can have more than one vehicle on a single account. You can do that online, at www.mygoodtogo.com, by calling Good To Go customer service at 866-936-8246, or going to a walk-in center in Seattle, Bellevue or Gig Harbor.
If you already have a Good To Go account, the cost of the Flex Pass transponder can be deducted from your pre-paid balance, but not through a retail location.
Be sure you only have one transponder on your vehicle, or you’ll be charged twice.
Carpoolers and motorcyclists, who can use the lanes for free with the right transponders, can have their $30 deposit refunded if they don’t use it.
We’ll have more on all things tolling in a special report on Sept. 27.
For now, to learn more, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/tolling/405.
Have a question? Email us at streetsmarts@heraldnet.com. Please include your first and last name and city of residence. Look for updates on the Street Smarts blog.
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