Fast Lane transponders FREE!
Mass. Pike board makes Fast Lane transponders free
BOSTON –There’s now no financial reason not to get a Massachusetts Turnpike Fast Lane transponder and avoid paying cash at a toll booth.
The Pike’s board of directors voted unanimously Wednesday to give drivers free transponders. They’ve long been sold for $29.95, but the board voted earlier this year to replace that upfront cost with a 50-cent monthly usage fee.
Huge traffic backups over Easter prompted Pike officials to examine better ways to lessen congestion at toll booths. They decided eliminating any charge for a transponder would remove any remaining barrier for drivers to get one.
Agency officials also announced the backups had prompted them to cancel planned layoffs of 50 toll collectors. They have already lost an equivalent number through attrition. 
