Rental Car drivers beware!!!!

[futaba951]

Word to the OP. Next time rent from Enterprise. They will pick you up and drop you off. When you reach an exit where you can't get off, stop before going past the camera and call Enterprise and tell them where you are and that you need someone to pick up the car and where you want to be dropped off at. Either that, or I recommend staying the hell away from TX next time!! There are far too many places in the US to visit that are less of a hassle to deal with.

[CGBCruiser]

The newest and final section of the Beltway, which opened about a month ago, is EZ Tag only. It's the Northeast corner which runs roughly from IAH to I-10 on the East side of town.

 

We figured out earlier in this thread that the OP was on the Westpark Toll Road which also is EZ Tag only. There are big signs that say EZ Tag only, but if you're from another country you might not know what the EZ Tag is. I haven't been on that Northeast section of the Beltway yet.

[Rudyard]

We figured out earlier in this thread that the OP was on the Westpark Toll Road which also is EZ Tag only. There are big signs that say EZ Tag only, but if you're from another country you might not know what the EZ Tag is. I haven't been on that Northeast section of the Beltway yet.

 

Got the part about Westpark. Figured I'd post about the new section as the East side of the Beltway is probably the easiest way to get from IAH to Galveston if you want to avoid the traffic around downtown.

 

I live in the Clear Lake area and anytime I have to go to IAH I take the Beltway instead of 45. Takes about the same amount of time and the cost is worth not having the stress of passing through downtown to me.

[CGBCruiser]

Got the part about Westpark. Figured I'd post about the new section as the East side of the Beltway is probably the easiest way to get from IAH to Galveston if you want to avoid the traffic around downtown.

 

I live in the Clear Lake area and anytime I have to go to IAH I take the Beltway instead of 45. Takes about the same amount of time and the cost is worth not having the stress of passing through downtown to me.

 

We live down here by Freeport so I never take the Beltway all the way around...just 288 to 59 North to IAH. Used to take the West Beltway to College Station when DD was there, but haven't even been on it in a while. Appreciate the info about the completion though...that's my emergency route in case of bad traffic in Houston!

[VideoTech]

Another thing to be aware of with Toll roads and auto rental companies: They tell you you can drive through the automatic tolls and they will be billed to you. True enough, but what they often don't point out is that the first time you do that, they start charging you a $2.50 per day fee for using the toll service.

 

So, let's say you have a 7 day stay in a city with toll roads, and you drive through a toll booth on your first day, but then never use a toll road again...you'll see the toll charge for the first toll booth, plus 7 days at $2.50 per day.

 

In my mind, this is a very poor business practice, in as much as they rarely tell you about the daily fee at the rental counter. It would be far better if they charged you a single administrative fee once you use the toll system, not a per day fee.

 

This is the way both Hertz and Avis work their toll system. I don't have first hand experience with other companies.