Upvote:3
Yes there are cash lanes, as lots of tourists bring their own cars to Florida without the SunPass. They obviously require you to slow down and pay, rather than fly through at mach90.
Best bet is to look at where you plan to go, which roads require tolls and then do the math. If you will be spending lots of time on the toll roads (central Florida) then the scheme maybe worth it. But if you are cruising rural Florida to see the countryside not simply speeding from Disney to Miami Beach to Key West, then the cash option might be a good choice.
Upvote:4
There are two kinds of toll arrangements that most rental car places in Florida do-
In either case, you probably want a transponder, because:
You can go into just about any grocery store (e.g. Publix) and buy a SunPass for $5- but it will permentantly adhere to the windshield and not work once removed.
The rental-car-agency-pays model is usually a good deal. I remember it being like $6/day capped.
In the Orlando area, there are enough tolls to where it almost certainly a good deal- especially if you are capped at $16/month. In addition to paying your tolls for you, you get to use the fast lanes.
The SunPass will get you all around town, and down to Everglades. If I remember correctly, it would be at least $16 round trip to there from Orlando. The number of gates you get to zip through will make you happy too.