Even drivers who have lived in Central Florida for a long time have a hard time knowing which transponder to use when going through a toll plaza.

  • Anywhere you can use a SunPass, you can use an E-Pass
  • Congress passed law in 2012, requiring 'interoperability'
  • Central Fla. Expressway Authority says drivers can use E-Z Pass soon

"I'm not sure what the difference is.  And I didn't know that there was really a difference," said Catherine Hanson, a Central Florida resident.

Hanson has lived in Central Florida since the 1970s and was once a Lake County commissioner. She said she can see why it's hard for some to keep up with all the area's toll roads, especially in her part of Lake County, where her stretch of State Road 429 is SunPass only and extends up to State Road 46.

"The growth has been tremendous. Most of it in other parts of the county, but now it's really hitting East Lake County," she said.

And she's not the only one experiencing growing pains. Another local driver wrote in to us saying that she had both an E-Pass and a SunPass, because some exits on State Road 429 are marked solely with SunPass signage and others with E-Pass.

That isn't necessary. Anywhere you can use a SunPass, you can use an E-Pass, and vice versa.

In fact, you can use an E-Pass or SunPass anywhere in the state of Florida, plus Georgia and North Carolina. The only difference between and E-Pass and a SunPass are certain discounts.

Another thing to know — back in 2012, Congress passed a law saying all tolling agencies in the nation had to have what they call 'interoperability' by October 2016. That means any pass works in any state.

Two years after the deadline, that still hasn't happened. But there is good news on the way.

The Central Florida Expressway Authority, which controls the main Orlando metro area toll roads, recently announced that this spring, drivers can also use E-Z Pass.

That's another type of pass held by over 35 million customers in 16 states across the eastern U.S.

Down the road, local E-PASS customers will be able to get a special tag to ride E-Z Pass roads in other states.

"We'll see in the future as roads are being completed, it will be a lot more convenient for folks to get here to Orlando from other parts of the state,” added Catherine Henson.  “And I believe the growth is going to hopefully not overwhelm us but be steady."