The Virginia Department of Transportation has changed its mind about implementing a $1 per month fee for each E-ZPass transponder.

A VDOT report, issued July 9, said that VDOT reviewed several options, including the $1 monthly fee. Following a public comment period, the report said, the state agency balanced citizen input with the need to cover the department’s rising costs to provide Virginia’s E-ZPass program.

The outcome: Current E-ZPass customers will not pay a monthly fee until they need a new transponder or need one replaced. Then the monthly fee will be 50 cents per standard transponder. A special fee of $1 per Flex transponder issued after July 9, 2012 will also be in place for the I-495 express lanes.

However, new E-ZPass customers will pay a monthly fee per transponder once they open an account. The $25 security deposit on new transponders will be waived.

The new fees will help VDOT administer the E-ZPass program, whose numbers are expected to double ove...