New, bandage-sized FasTrak transponders are being mailed out in Orange County

Orange County’s transportation agencies have begun sending out sticker versions of FasTrak transponders to toll road drivers, in an effort to make the devices work across the nation and save on the cost of buying the hard-case version previously used.

The Transportation Corridor Agencies, which operate the 73, 133, 241 and 261 toll roads, started mailing 15,000 of the bandage-sized transponders out daily starting in June, according to the agencies’ press release. The toll road system has more than 650,000 FasTrak account holders.

The Orange County Transportation Authority, which operates the 91 ExpressLanes, plans to follow in late summer or early fall, agency spokesman Eric Carpenter said.

A sticker transponder costs about 70 cents, versus $20 for a hard-case device, TCA spokeswoman Kit Cole said. That savings will be passed on to toll road drivers – TCA on July 1 will end its $2 monthly account maintenance fee, Cole said.

Congress passed a law in 2012 requiring the nation’s toll road agencies to start using transponders that work in all 50 states. Cole said these stickers include technology that should be usable elsewhere.

Drivers will need to keep their hard-case transponders for now for discounted rides if they carpool on the 91 ExpressLanes or Metro ExpressLanes on the 110 and 10 freeways in Los Angeles County. In a few years, the sticker transponders will come with switches, Cole said, meaning drivers will be able to adjust the devices’ dials to reflect whether they are in a carpool.

Otherwise, FasTrak devices can be disposed of the way one would a battery.