E-ZPass system is part of a much larger US DOT ITS set of projects.

The E-ZPass system is part of a much larger US DOT ITS set of projects.

The E-ZPass technology can be used not only for toll collection, but also allows vehicles to become "probes." In commercial vehicles, it is envisioned[who?] as an "automated vehicle identification" electronic license plate.

In 1991, the original seven agencies jointly adopted an interagency policy statement that endorsed a plan to procure a unified and compatible system of tags and readers. The plan sought to ensure that one automatic vehicle identification toll tag could be used for travel throughout the entire region. The testing and selection of an electronic toll collection system motivated the representatives from these toll agencies to form the E-ZPass IAG.

The first obstacle that the E-ZPass IAG members had to overcome was the issue of whether to purchase a read-only or a read-write system. The agencies with open-system tollbooths (that collect a fixed toll) only needed read-only technology. The toll authorities with closed (distance-based) toll systems desired the read-write technology so that they could track entry as well as exit points of their customers. Additionally, all recognized that if an electronic toll collection system was to migrate to the communications methods required for advanced traffic management and traveler information systems, the electronic tags must be capable of two-way communications. After a period of negotiations, the members reached a consensus and selected the read-write technology.

The data generated by the TRANSMIT project is a key component of the Model Deployment Initiative. When merged with other data supplied by the TRANSCOM member agencies, it will form the basis for providing accurate, up-to-date, and much-needed travel information to the commuting public.

TRANSCOM members, many of whom are also involved with the E-ZPass effort, saw the benefits of building incident detection and congestion monitoring functions upon the E-ZPass system. Additional readers could be installed along the highway to provide TRANSCOM with regional incident detection and congestion management data. The members postulated that, while maintaining customer anonymity and confidentiality, vehicles participating in the E-ZPass system could be used as probes to detect congestion and incidents and assess such factors as vehicle speed and travel times. Therefore, they moved forward to assess the feasibility of and to design an advanced traffic management system operational test based on electronic toll collection technology.

TRANSCOM members reasoned that, if the operational test was successful, it could ultimately provide the region an extensive traffic surveillance system at a reasonable incremental increase over the cost of providing electronic toll and traffic management for toll collection only.