Free. It’s one of the most powerful words in the human language, especially these days. Luckily for Orlando highway users, free has a new friend with the E-PASS Mini.

The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) approved a decision at the end of January to hand out free E-PASS Mini sticker tags for Orlando residents and businesses.

Lindsay Hodges, the manager of public relations and communications at the OOCEA, says the OOCEA board created a citizen’s advisory committee in the spring of 2009 assigning them the task of going through current OOEA protocols to see how they could be improved.

“We wanted to know how we could enhance our experience with our customers,” she says. “One of the recommendations they had was to come up with a plan to offer free transponders.”

The E-PASS Mini is the result, a sticker transponder similar to the SunPass Mini. The catch? Although the actual transponder itself is free, an activation fee of $25 is required. This type of transponder can only be used in one car, and it must be affixed to the windshield in order to work. Once you take it off of your windshield, it deactivates, according to Hodges.

“There are pros and cons to it, but one of the good parts of it is that it doesn’t require a battery,” says Hodges in regards to the E-PASS Mini. “You never have to worry about if your battery is bad or if it’s time to change it.”

The E-PASS Mini can be used on all the same roads as the E-PASS. This includes state roads 408, 528, 414, 417 and 429. It can also be used for parking at the Orlando International Airport.

This isn’t the first time free transponders have been handed out. When the E-PASS was first made in 1994, it was the original transponder program in Florida, and they gave out free electronic transponders then. Once SunPass was created, the two toll transponder programs moved in unison to start charging for the transponders.

“If we were to offer ours [the E-PASS] for free, then we would end up subsidizing a state program,” says Hodges. “Why would you go to SunPass and pay for it, if you get it for free from us?”

Though the OOCEA said they have 100,000 transponders to give away to Orlando residents and businesses, Hodges says it’s “indefinite” if they’ll continue to give out the transponders for free once they run out.

“Basically, at some point we may make the decision of, ‘Hey, we’re running out’ or ‘This isn’t working,’” she says. “If price points change for some reason, that may cause us to reconsider.”

Caitlin Costa, a resident of East Orlando, agrees that the E-PASS Mini has its pros and cons.

“I think it’s great for people that are moving to the Orlando area, especially if they want to save time while driving,” Costa says. “But most Orlando residents already have transponders. I wouldn’t get a free one just because it’s free.”

Costa bought an electronic transponder three years ago when she moved to East Orlando. She doesn’t feel that she’ll switch over to an E-PASS Mini for a few reasons.

“The upside to the Mini is that it’s free, but that’s really all I see,” she says. “[With] an electronic transponder, you know if it’s working, because it beeps when you go through tolls. You can use it from car to car, too.”

Interested in obtaining a free transponder? Orlando residents and businesses can apply for a free E-PASS Mini by going to one of the two OOCEA service centers: one is located on West Colonial Drive in the Good Homes Shopping Center, while the other is on South Goldenrod Road in the Rio Pinar Plaza. You can also call the OOCEA at 407-823-7277, or go online to www.expresswayauthority.com to obtain a free transponder.

Article by Nicole Lauber