Plan Your Trip
How you drive will determine whether you pay a toll or not, so make sure you plan ahead and learn how to use the Express Lanes ahead of time.
If you're a solo driver, you can use the Express Lanes anytime they are open and can save time and money with an ExpressToll account. Solo drivers with a pass will be charged the posted toll rate, which will be automatically deducted from their ExpressToll Account.
If you choose not to set up an ExpressToll account and get a pass, you will be billed through a License Plate Toll. A bill will be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle, and you will be charged the posted toll rate plus approximately 40% more in tolls to cover the costs of processing your License Plate Toll.
If you drive with three or more people in the vehicle, you can use HOV3+ carpool, you get to use most Express Lanes for free.
To travel toll-free with HOV3+, you need:
- A driver plus two or more passengers.
- An ExpressToll account and a Switchable HOV3+ transponder pass. This switchable pass lets you change between the non-paying HOV3+ mode when you have three or more people in your car and the toll-paying mode when you travel alone.
- If you do not have a pass but have enough people in your car to qualify for HOV3+ and use the lanes for free, you will still be charged a toll, so be sure to get a pass.
- The switchable pass can be used on all Colorado Express Lanes highways and costs $18 to purchase. If you are planning to carpool only using HOV3+ (never using the toll mode) and only on Express Lanes that offer free HOV3+, you can get the pass for free.*
While it might be tempting to use the Switchable HOV3+ Transponder to avoid paying tolls, it is important to remember there is enforcement on the roadway. Our local law enforcement officers are out on the corridors, and violations could cost up to $250.
* The I-70 Mountain and C-470 Express Lanes will do not include a "free" policy for HOV3+.
If you ride the bus, you won't have to change anything about your current commute, but you'll start noticing some new benefits. With Express Lanes, your bus ride is more reliable.
On US 36, the bus has an extra advantage with the ability to travel on the shoulder and with the Bus Rapid Transit service. For more information on routes and schedules, visit www.rtd-denver.com.
Motorcycles do not need an ExpressToll pass to use most Express Lanes for free.
This does not apply on the I-70 Mountain Express Lanes and motorcycles will be tolled. Motorcycles do not need a physical ExpressToll pass as long as the motorcycle license plate has been added to an ExpressToll account. Motorcycles without an ExpressToll account will be charged the higher License Plate Toll (LPT) toll rate
Small and mid-sized trucks with two or three axles may use the Express Lanes as toll-paying customers or they may travel toll-free if they meet the HOV3+ requirement, and have an ExpressToll account and pass.* Vehicles with more than three axles will be charged a $25 surcharge per toll point, no matter how many passengers are in the vehicle.
Due to the narrow nature of the I-70 Mountain Express Lanes, no vehicle with more than two axles or exceeding 25 feet in length can travel in these Express Lanes at any time.
* The I-70 Mountain Express Lane and C-470 will not include a "free" policy for HOV3+ vehicles.
Taxi and rideshare drivers can use the Express Lanes anytime they are open, and can save money with an ExpressToll account and ExpressToll sticker pass. The Switchable HOV3+ Transponder provides the flexibility to travel toll-free on most Express Lanes when you are traveling with at least two passengers. Any pass acquired through ExpressToll can be used on all Colorado Express Lanes highways but only the switchable HOV3+ Transponders can be used for HOV3+. When you travel alone, or with one passenger or on Express Lane corridors without an HOV3+ option, you will be required to switch the transponder back to toll mode and pay the ExpressToll.
If you are visiting Colorado, make sure you plan ahead and know if you are going to use the Express Lanes. Everyone who uses Express Lanes can save money with an ExpressToll account and an ExpressToll sticker pass or Switchable HOV3+ Transponder. If you have a rental car, you can add the rental car to your ExpressToll account before you use the Express Lanes to save on administrative fees charged by the rental car company.
If you accidentally take the Express Lanes without a pass, you will be billed through a License Plate Toll. A bill will be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle and you will pay a higher toll rate based on how far you travel in the Express Lane. If you are driving a rental car, the bill will be sent to the rental car company and you will likely incur charges based on that company's policy.
To travel in the Express Lanes for free with HOV3+:
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- Make sure you have an ExpressToll account and pass and switchable HOV3+ transponder. The Switchable HOV3+ Transponder lets you change between the non-paying HOV3+ mode when you have three or more people in the car and the toll-paying mode when you travel alone.
- ExpressToll sticker passes can be used on all Colorado Express Lanes highways, but only the switchable HOV3+ transponders can be used for HOV3+.
- *The I-70 Mountain and C-470 Express Lanes do not include a "free" policy for HOV3+.
*The I-70 Mountain Express Lane will not include a "free" policy for HOV vehicles given that a majority of vehicles traveling in the corridor typically have more than one passenger.
Adding a Rental Car to an ExpressToll Account
ExpressToll customers can add a rental car license plate number to their toll account. To ensure the tolls are properly billed to the account, a customer must add the vehicle to the account BEFORE driving on the toll road and include a start and end date for when the car will drive the road.
Adding a rental plate to an ExpressToll account allows customers to pay the tolls only and avoid the additional administrative fees charged by rental car companies for driving their rental car on a tollroad. Rental vehicles not properly added to an account are billed through the rental car agency.
Rental Car Tolls Billed Through Rental Car Agency
All major rental car agencies register their vehicles with ExpressToll. The rental car agency will bill the tolls to the customer based on the terms written in the rental agreement. In addition, rental car agencies may apply additional administrative fees for toll road usage.
Some rental car agencies equip their cars with a non-removeable ExpressToll transponder. If so, the customer is automatically opted-in to the rental agency's toll plan. Please contact the rental car agency directly if you have any questions.
