Motorcyclists who use high-occupancy toll lanes along I-110 and I-10 in Los Angeles no longer need a transponder to do so, a change that takes effect immediately, according to Rick Jager, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Motorcycle riders always have been allowed to travel for free in L.A.’s high-occupancy toll lanes, the second of which opens Saturday along I-10. They just had to purchase a $40 transponder and set up a FasTrak account to do so. Fines for using the lanes without a transponder run between $25 and $55.

Jager said the motorcycle exemption is possible due to a software upgrade that enables the lanes’ transponder readers to recognize motorcycles’ smaller license plates without issuing toll violations.

The change affects motorcyclists traveling the 11-mile toll lane on the I-110 between 182nd Street and Adams and the 14-mile stretch of I-10 between Alameda Street and the I-605.

Motorcyclists who have purchased transponders are eligible for a full refund (visit metro.net).