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Electronic Toll Box for Rental Car

I live in the U.S., and have rented a car through Hertz. I'm curious about how I may obtain an electronic toll box for my drive throughout Southern Italy. (I called Hertz and they said they had no such rental items - even though they announced years ago that they did). I would appreciate any insight you may be able to give me.
- Joan

Posted by
15043 posts

The insight I give you is not to get one. You don't need it. I've driven in Italy (both as resident and as visitor) and never needed one.

The transponder, which is called "Telepass" doesn't come for free. Italians pay about 4 € every 3 months to rent it, so it doesn't make sense for sporadic users of the freeways.

If Hertz rents it to you (I think they have them only at major airports), they'll probably rent it to you at an exorbitant markup. For example here in California we have a so called 'Fastrak' transponders to pay tolls on bridges or toll lanes. To cross a bridge it costs $5 if I use my own Fastrak, but once I rented it from the rental car company on a rental car, and they charged me $15 for every bridge crossing. An outrageous 300% mark up. I'm not making that mistake again.

In Italy, you can pay just as easily with cash. Just choose the booth with the big white sign showing the money logo (a bill and some coins).

If the booth is manned by an attendant it will show a black hand holding the money, like the sign here, if it's an automatic machine, the same sign will have no black hand, like here. The T sign in yellow background means that telepass transponders can also pass. The credit cards in the sign means that you can pay at the machine with credit cards too. The automatic machine accepts coins and bills and gives you change as well, so no need to have exact change. Most exits will have booths that are manned. Only the minor exits are totally automated.

In addition freeways south of Salerno are toll free, therefore there is nothing to pay. You will have to pay only in Puglia (Apulia) if you go there, and in some parts of Sicily, if you visit the island.

Posted by
16 posts

On my last trip to France, I got a transponder from a German company TollTickets.com:
https://tolltickets.com/default.aspx?lang=en-GB&mnu=c

I found it very convenient, and charges seemed reasonable for the convenience unlike rental car company's charges.

The only problem was that the device did not get to my home in the states in time, as they sent it via slow mail.

I had to have them send another to my hotel in Nice. Mailed it back to them when I got to Paris.

I am going to Italy and France again, and plan on using them again.

Posted by
1674 posts

At the rest stops you can buy a ViaCard in either 25 or 50 Euro denominations which acts as a prepaid credit card at the tolls. Your Visa credit card should work as well.