Driving from MCO to Cocoa Beach

[indy71]

It has been about 5 years since I have rented a car to drive from MCO to Cocoa Beach. Can I still pay tolls with exact change and bypass the cashiers or has everything gone electronic by now. Also, does anyone know the amount of the tolls? I already have cars rented for both directions. This is for January 2023. Thanks for your help, Karen

[Capt_BJ]

as long as you get on 528 at MCO and go direct to Cocoa YES there are still toll plazas with both manned and exact change lanes ... you will encounter TWO ..one just east of the 417 junction and one at DALLAS Road. (if you were to go WEST from MCO there ARE electronic only plazas ..... soon all the manned places will be history)

 

be careful as the CASH lanes can look like an exit to those not familiar ... they are off to the right with electronic payment going straight thru

 

 

I they are  $1.50 or less paying cash  (I use SUNPASS and pay the discounted rate) A roll of quarters should cover the round trip.

 

BTW you may want to consider 'Visitor Toll Pass' which is essentially a free loaner transponder . . it's free and you pay the discounted rate https://visitortollpass.com/

Edited December 30, 2022 by Capt_BJ

[indy71]

Wow! Thanks so much Capt_BJ! I looked at the Visitor Toll Pass link you provided. Thank you so much for the info and picture!

[hannibal54]

I just did it with a rental car on the 17th, the rental place said it would cost $13.00 to use their pass where it was only a little over $5.00 in tolls. We used the pay lanes instead of the exact chance ones, it was only a couple of minute wait to go through the toll. I didn't want to dig around for the change.

[indy71]

That’s great to know. Thank you hannibal54!

[Cienfuegos]

Many rental car companies have adopted the practice of charging the $5-$7 per day charge for a transponder (plus tolls, of course) for every day of a rental period.  Not just the days on which a toll is incurred.

 

My understanding is the transponder in rental cars is rapidly disappearing. The last two didn't have them.  But the rental car company registered the license plates with the toll authority provider database to provide an electronic feed that way. One less piece of hardware.  I found that out by trying to register a rental car's plate with my own transponder for a several day trip.  SORRY, THIS LICENSE PLATE IS ALREADY REGISTERED WITH [US]

[publicpersona]

Thanks for the reassurance that eastbound from MCO to Port Canaveral has a cash option.

 

I rarely use cash for anything, but in a rental car I just don't want any opportunity for something to go wrong. Yes, I can close the provided transponder (if there is one), and yes, I could use my E-Pass instead. And yes, I will pay about $1.50 more and take a few minutes more in the cash lane. But all of that is worth it if I'm not subject to the hassle and big expense that pay by tag would entail. Not going under the cameras in a rental car means that even if something went wrong with vehicle registration to E-Pass, etc., I wouldn't have that risk.

Edited December 31, 2022 by publicpersona