Sanibel Island bridge toll - no cash

[Kim R]

We are currently staying at Tortuga Beach Club on Sanibel Island. We knew there was a $6 toll to come on the island, but were not aware that they had suspended cash payments due to the pandemic. Our plate was scanned and we will be paying the rental car a hefty administrative fee plus the toll. Had we known, we would have purchased a temporary Sunpass at Publix to avoid the rental car charges.
We rented from Thrifty but picked up at the Hertz counter because the Thrifty desk
was not manned. We were not given any information about tolls at the rental counter.

 

[dioxide45]

Good to know they take Sunpass. We are planning to go over this weekend and weren't sure. We already have a transponder. Is the only way to pay via toll by plate or transponder? No credit cards?

 

[Talent312]

No credit cards mechanism. Sunpass or toll by plate only.
A non-transferrable Sunpass sticker is $5 plus whatever you deposit in the account.
It's worth it to avoid rental car fees, but if driving your own car, may not be.
.

.

 

[dioxide45]

No credit cards mechanism. Sunpass or toll by plate only.
A non-transferrable Sunpass sticker is $5 plus whatever you deposit in the account.
It's worth it to avoid rental car fees, but if driving your own car, may not be.
.

.

The problem with a sticker on a rental car is remembering to remove it and the pain of removing it before returning the rental. Of course you would have to remember to remove a Sunpass Portable transponder also. Though I am willing to be the admin fees associated with the OPs toll would have probably paid for the Sunpass portable transponder.

 

[bogey21]

Reminds me of back when I was a teenager. A couple of us were coming back from a weeknd at the Jersey shore to Philadelphia. The toll bridge over the Delaward River cost 25 cents at the time but none of us had any money. We pulled up to the toll booth and offered the attendant a quart of Iron City beer in lieu of the toll. He took it and we went on our merry way...

George

 

[buzglyd]

I bought my transponder this year and left it in my rental car the first time I used it. Now I"ll have to get another.

 

[brp]

We go to Florida 3-4 times per year (in fact, we're headed to Disneyworld this weekend).. So, Orlando and family north of Miami. We bought a removable Sunpass for $20, and it is well worth it. We add the rental car plate each time so that we're covered by Transponder and Toll-by-Plate.

Cheers.

 

[louisianab]

We went through it in June, no transponder. I got the license plate bill about 6 weeks later for the $6, no extra fees and paid online.

 

[PigsDad]

We go to Florida 3-4 times per year (in fact, we're headed to Disneyworld this weekend).. So, Orlando and family north of Miami. We bought a removable Sunpass for $20, and it is well worth it. We add the rental car plate each time so that we're covered by Transponder and Toll-by-Plate.

We do the same thing (when we remember to pack it! ). Fairly simple to add a rental car plate from a smart phone, which is nice.

Kurt

 

[PigsDad]

We went through it in June, no transponder. I got the license plate bill about 6 weeks later for the $6, no extra fees and paid online.

In a rental car? Which company? Some of the company's additional fees are outrageous.

Kurt

 

[Pathways]

I bought my transponder this year and left it in my rental car the first time I used it. Now I"ll have to get another.

Don't get another SunPass. Get the new UNI pass. Just like the SunPass it has no monthly fees, but in additional to working in all SunPass toll areas, it is also good in 18 other states. (Including the areas of FL that are toll but the SunPass didn't work)

 

[PigsDad]

Don't get another SunPass. Get the new UNI pass. No monthly fees like the SunPass, but in additional to working in all SunPass toll areas, it is also good in 18 other states.

Good to know about the UNI pass; I wish there would be a single pass that would work across the US, but that might be a pipe dream.

BTW, what monthly fees are you talking about with the SunPass? We've had one for ~3 years now and no fees whatsoever.

Kurt

 

[Pathways]

Good to know about the UNI pass; I wish there would be a single pass that would work across the US, but that might be a pipe dream.

BTW, what monthly fees are you talking about with the SunPass? We've had one for ~3 years now and no fees whatsoever.

Kurt

I meant 'just like the Sunpass' it has no fees. I edited - thanks

 

[bogey21]

Don't get another SunPass. Get the new UNI pass. Just like the SunPass it has no monthly fees, but in additional to working in all SunPass toll areas, it is also good in 18 other states. (Including the areas of FL that are toll but the SunPass didn't work)

Agree. After checking out the SunPass and UNI pass a couple of months ago, I opted for the UNI pass for my Son for when he drives in Florida...

 

[buzglyd]

I just bought a UNI pass on Amazon. I'm unlikely to drive in most of those states but why not?

I've got the toll road stickers on my windshield in CA but rarely drive on a toll road (we don't have many).

 

[louisianab]

No sorry, my own car.

In a rental car? Which company? Some of the company's additional fees are outrageous.

Kurt

 

[Sea Six]

We go to Florida 3-4 times per year (in fact, we're headed to Disneyworld this weekend).. So, Orlando and family north of Miami. We bought a removable Sunpass for $20, and it is well worth it. We add the rental car plate each time so that we're covered by Transponder and Toll-by-Plate.

Cheers.

We did the same thing. Don't use it much, as there are not many toll roads down here, just I-75 to Ft Lauderdale. But we can move this between all our cars, or into rental cars, or even into a friends car when he drives and I offer to pay the tolls. Mainly use it when we go to Orlando - that place is toll road heaven. We also use it for express parking at the airports - no waiting to pay the parking fee when you get home, just roll right through.

 

[Talent312]

BTW, there was a time when there was no bridge to Sanibel.
The only public access to the island was by ferry (1928-1963).
Hence the street names: Ferry Road & Ferry Landing Drive.

.

 

[jwalk03]

I actually purchased the NC QuickPass before our most recent trip to Florida. It is good in all of the EZ Pass states, plus NC, GA, and FL- so its the closest thing out there to a universal transponder. Worked great, we used it several times to cross the bridge to Sanibel, plus Cape Coral, the FL Turnpike, etc. The convenience is well worth the $8 it cost to buy the transponder, way better than the outrageous extra fees that rental companies try to charge for tolls! Those should be criminal.

 

[Tamaradarann]

I bought my transponder this year and left it in my rental car the first time I used it. Now I"ll have to get another.

To avoid forgetting the transponder and leaving it in the rent a car we use the folloiwng method. We pack it permanently in a backpack that we always travel with. When we get to Florida we take it out and leaving it in a tray in the middle of the car NOT on the windshield. When going thru a toll we put it up to the windshield temporaily to pay the TOLL and then put it down again in the tray. When we return the rent a car we always make sure to take everything out of the car first whcih includes the transponder. It is much easier to remember taking stuff from the tray which is very visible when we empty the car than on the windshield which is less visible.

 

[Talent312]

Once, on returning a rental car, I found the car's own transponder in the glove box.
It seems the previous renter did not to chance it being read along with his own.

When I told the rental agent about it, he said: No worries. Even if it goes thru a
SunPass lane w/o transponder, they know it's a rental and we're not penalized.



,

 

[Sea Six]

BTW, there was a time when there was no bridge to Sanibel.
The only public access to the island was by ferry (1928-1963).
Hence the street names: Ferry Road & Ferry Landing Drive.

.

Thanks for this. I always knew about the ferry boats, but never saw a picture of one.

 

[Sea Six]

I have a pic from several years ago when the new $6 toll bridge was being built. This was from 2006. The increased height drastically reduced the number of draw bridge openings.