Free or fee? Air pump tiff flares on tollway

The freakin' ILLINOIS TOLLWAY is complaining about someone ripping people off?! Merry Chutzpah and a Happy Nerve Year.

There needs to be a consumer boycott over this. This is outright fraud on the part of ExxonMobil. Free Air See Cashier? Stand in line because of how few cashiers they have? Try to cheat people out of 75 cents? If this can stand legal muster, it must not be allowed to stand consumer muster. There are plenty of good local services along the tollway anyway. Try the Huntley exit in the middle of the Northwest/Jane Addams tollway, which isn't obstructed by toll barriers in either direction.

John, tolls were 30 cents a gate in 1958, and they're 40 to 50 cents a gate now. Be thankful that they're nowhere close to keeping up with inflation.

However the tollway authority is a day late and a dollar short in getting on ExxonMobil about these air vending machines. The tollway authority aren't rip-off merchants, they're just sleeping at the wheel.

This is a nuisance fee that obviously needs to be done away with. Some businesses do everything they can to inconvenience people.

Weren't the tollways supposed to become freeways after the original construction bonds were paid off (which happened sometime in the 1970's)? Here's a better plan... let motorists pay for air, and use the interstate highway system in Illinois free of charge like the rest of the midwestern states. As a bonus, we are rid of another self-perpetuating bureaucracy. Once the Illinois Toll Highway Authority goes away, we can turn our sights on the waste and patronage of Cook County's "family government".

just to let you know mobile has to pay that company to fix the machine. cannot get everything for free. most gas stations change for air. the tollway also charges you for air. when you call the help truck ask the guy how much it costs to fill up your tire with air? Ask the help truck guy how much gas is. Nothing on the tollway is free.

On a similar note, gas prices at oases used to be very competitive with non-tollway stations. I assumed this was a contract stipulation to compensate for the monopoly.

I regularly go to Kenosha for work, and usually filled my tank at the oasis in Lake Forest. Then I realized how much cheaper gas is on US-41, just a mile or so east of the Tri-State. I now make a point of taking at least one leg of my trip on 41 to fill my tank.

DBX wrote:

John, tolls were 30 cents a gate in 1958, and they're 40 to 50 cents a gate now. Be thankful that they're nowhere close to keeping up with inflation.
However the tollway authority is a day late and a dollar short in getting on ExxonMobil about these air vending machines. The tollway authority aren't rip-off merchants, they're just sleeping at the wheel.

You have to either be on some State Payroll or incredibly blind to one of the most historically corrupt frauds perpetuated on the citizens of Illinois.

Bonds to build the Tollway System were retired tears ago. The promise was the Tolls were temporary. Reconfiguration of the Plazas occurred at least three times ie: I-Pass Lanes. I guess they couldn't get it right the first two tries at a cost of millions to Taxpayers. But than you wouldn't have construction pals (remember the Palumbo's?) not having windfall opportunities every three years.

Tollway Boards are political appointees. What happened to the Board members being caught a few years back pilfering funds?

"Be thankfull"? For what?

uncta rider wrote:

just to let you know mobile has to pay that company to fix the machine. cannot get everything for free. most gas stations change for air. the tollway also charges you for air. when you call the help truck ask the guy how much it costs to fill up your tire with air? Ask the help truck guy how much gas is. Nothing on the tollway is free.

I completely agree. It cost money to buy and maintain those compressors. Instead of charging a flat fee they should meter the air like gas. Charge 10 cents per milliliter of air. Also charge a fee for the parking space you are using while using the air hose. Remember to collect an additional toll when they re-enter the tollway. AMERICA is GREAT!!!!

John wrote:

The freakin' ILLINOIS TOLLWAY is complaining about someone ripping people off?! Merry Chutzpah and a Happy Nerve Year.

They are right but they do have quite a nerve acting as if they care about the motorist.

I never ever stop and plan around the Oasis for my needs

there is a certain irony indeed in the tollway complaining about a COMPANY charging for air?

confused wrote:

<quoted text>Please explain what "retired tears" are please.

Sorry, Typo. Tears should have been years.....On second thought, as a long suffering Illinois Taxpayer/Voter, "tears" is more appropriate.

Mobil is just financially raping the American people, any way they can squeeze more money out of us. We need to start taxing these oil companies at a fair rate to the American people 35 to 40 % percent of their profits, before they award bonuses to any of their executives.....

Thank you for writing this column. What Exxon Mobil is doing is wrong here, and I hope the attention you're shining on it, Jon, will prompt a change. The air machines at Tollway Exxon Mobils should be free to all without having to see a cashier.

Charging for air is obscene and it should stop.

Exxon-Mobil didn't get to be the most profitable company in the world by giving away things for free! They've been sticking it to us on gas prices for years - what's the big deal if they stick it to us for a little air, too? It's free markets, afterall...

Obviously, Exxon needs to honor its contract. However, I must say that I was surprised to read that people are surprised to learn they charge for air. I can't remember the last time a gas* station DIDN'T charge for air!

* I DO remember when they used to be called "service stations". How times change.

I know that I am in the minority here, and considering I'm a white male there's a first time for everything, but I don't understand why air should be free? While I believe $.75 is excessive there are costs associated with supplying the compressed air that I believe they have every right to recoup.

I guess whenever you put tollway authority and oil companies in the same article you are bound to stir up bad feelings.

Greed.

why don't they just have you use your i pass to pay for the air, your already being skinned alive using the tollway.if they make it easy then maybe you won't mind paying,,,,,