The new toll roads are now being enforced in Jacksonville and Tuesday, Action News Jax told drivers about the different Sun Pass options to avoid paying toll fees. However, we didn’t mention what to do if you get a ticket in the mail for a toll booth you didn’t cross. Watch the video / read the full article at Action News Jax.
An appellate court panel has demanded that the New Jersey Turnpike Authority provide evidence that it needs to charge a $50 violation fee for every missed toll. The fee is at the heart of a proposed class-action lawsuit against the Authority over its E-ZPass fines. State law prohibits the authority from profiting off violation fees. The fine is supposed to make up the cost of the missed toll as well as the effort in sending out the notices.
Abuses by tolling authorities continue to mount. The lawsuit filed last year in U.S. District Court by Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the NMA against the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission for collecting inflated tolls to pay for projects unrelated to the operation and maintenance of the Turnpike continues under the purview of a federal judge. She is considering constitutional arguments involving the U.S. Commerce Clause. In another class action suit filed in 2018, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority is accused of overcharging E-ZPass administrative fees.
A class action lawsuit is challenging New Jersey’s tolling authorities’ ability to charge $50 fines for toll violations. If successful, the lawsuit could mean big changes to the way tolling is handled in the tri-state area, and maybe even some payback for drivers hit by the system. Read/watch the full article at lohud.
The implementation of cashless tolling in the Lower Hudson Valley has brought howls of complaints from drivers who have told us horror stories. Some say they’ve never received bills, only to face thousands of dollars in late fees. Others told us about strong-arm tactics of collection agencies, about a faceless system that didn’t seem to care. Here are two of their stories. Read the full article at lohud.
The state of New York is using facial recognition cameras to identify drivers and passengers at toll booths. Police are also testing facial recognition cameras that can identify people based on the shape of their ears! Read the full article at Activist Post.
For seven months, the bills were missing in action. The entire Toll-By-Plate billing system was spinning its wheels. It was all tied to a June Florida Department of Transportation SunPass upgrade that fell flat on its face and cost you $287 million. This week, bills are finally hitting the mail. Read the full article / watch the video at WFLA.
Government agencies and private individuals are calling out what they say are the deceptive practices of rental car companies with respect to toll road usage fees. These “PlatePass” charges are a big moneymaker for photo enforcement provider American Traffic Solutions (ATS, now known as Verra Mobility). Florida’s attorney general and the city of San Francisco have both accused Verra Mobility of misleading rental customers, and Navigators Insurance Companies wants nothing to do with defending these practices.
Want to use toll roads on the East Coast, but hate having to carry change? EZ Pass offers cashless, open road tolling across 17 states. The catch? States using the system might also be watching you. Although the system is intended to be used solely to collect tolls, several states, including New York and Virginia, are using the system to track traffic patterns and drivers–much to the alarm of privacy advocates.
Two U.S. Senators are calling for an investigation into the company that manages the electronic tolling system in Florida and Michigan. […] “Conduent’s pattern of mismanaging cashless toll systems is deeply troubling and warrants further scrutiny,” the senators wrote. “If drivers are being hurt financially, the FTC should hold the company accountable and prevent it from doing further harm.” Read the full article at CBS12.
