
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, the Assembly transportation committee on Thursday released a bill that would bring clarity to E–ZPass toll discounts.
Continue reading Bill Looks to Bring Clarity to E-ZPass Toll Discounts
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, the Assembly transportation committee on Thursday released a bill that would bring clarity to E–ZPass toll discounts.
Continue reading Bill Looks to Bring Clarity to E-ZPass Toll Discounts
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, its going to cost you more to flee the Garden State .After back-to-back toll rate increases on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway since September 2020 ,another toll hike starting in 2023 is right around the corner.
August 11,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Wyckoff NJ, Assemblyman Kevin J. Rooney moves to stem excessive fees on E-ZPass users.
Rooney commented on Facebook , “Recently, the news has highlighted the excessive and outrageous administrative fees the Turnpike Authority is charging drivers for missing an E-ZPass toll. If the system malfunctions, then drivers shouldn’t be penalized. One of the primary reasons E-ZPass was created was to offer discounted rates. Charging these fees completely contradicts this purpose.
Last year I introduced three pieces of legislation – A1002, AR34, and AR35 – to address a different “discount deception” that New Jersey E-ZPass users suffer. If you use your toll transponder out of state, you’ll often be charged the cash rate instead of the discounted E-ZPass rate. My legislation moves to fix that. Drivers need to be treated fairly no matter what the circumstances. New Jersey is already the most expensive state in the country to live in; we cannot become the most expensive state to drive in too.”
In an email Rooney went on, “If you use your NJ-issued toll transponder out of state, you’ll may be charged the cash rate instead of the discounted E-ZPass rate. Especially in New York. For example, NJ drivers using the Queens-Midtown Tunnel are charged $8.50 instead of the discounted rate of $5.76. My legislation moves to fix that.
Commuters and New Jersey drivers do not deserve the outrageous fees being charged against them. Drivers need to be treated fairly no matter what the circumstances. New Jersey is already the most expensive state in the country to live in; we cannot become the most expensive state to drive in too.”
TRENTON, NJ. – Assemblyman Kevin J. Rooney (R) has introduced a package of pro-commuter bills protecting New Jersey’s E-ZPass customers who use New York’s bridges and tunnels from being overcharged.
The legislation is in response to a recent AAA study that found drivers who purchased E-ZPass tags from out of state agencies are being charged the cash rate instead of the discount rate at New York bridges and tunnels operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Between 2012 and 2016, of the 92 million out-of-towners who didn’t receive the discount rate, 70 million were New Jersey drivers.
“One of the primary reasons E-ZPass was created was to offer drivers discounted rates,” said Rooney (R-Bergen). “We now find that certain drivers are given preferential treatment – the only reason for which is that their E-ZPass was issued by a New York agency. These bills are an effort to level the playing field for our commuters and ensure the integrity of the E-ZPass system.”
Advisory: E-ZPass Phishing Scam Warning
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and other agencies are cautioning the public about a email phishing scam disguised to be a warning about unpaid tolls.
Phishing is the attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money) by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
An example of the email shows a subject line, “In arrears for driving on toll road.” The body of the email shows what appears to be the E-ZPass service center logo, along with the following message:
“Dear customer,
You have not paid a toll for driving on a toll road. This invoice is sent repeatedly, please service your debt in the shortest possible time.
The invoice can be downloaded here.”
A link to download and pay an invoice follows.
The bottom of the email shows a series of links including “phishing policy.” But E-ZPass said it doesn’t want those who receive the email to be fooled.
The email is not authorized by E-ZPass, the Port Authority or any other toll agency associated with E-ZPass, the agency said.
“We advise customers in receipt of this email not to open or respond to such a message. The safest thing to do is to delete the email,” the agency said.
The Port Authority said the real E-ZPass Service Center does not send emails to notify people of unpaid tolls. Any invoices will be sent through U.S. Mail.
Several other agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, have also issued warnings about the scam. Anyone with questions about whether a message from E-ZPass is real is asked to call the E-ZPass New York Customer Service Center at 800-333-8655
E-ZPass : Driver charged with $6,000 in tolls on 495 Express Lanes
Thursday – 3/13/2014, 6:45am ET
By Ari Ashe
MCLEAN, Va. — A Fairfax County, Va. man who commutes on the 495 Express Lanes each day was sent a court summons and told he’d have to pay $6,000 in tolls, penalties and fees, WTOP Ticketbuster has learned.
Todd Metheny commutes from Springfield to McLean. He says the trip often took more than an hour on the Capital Beltway, but now takes less than 20 minutes on the 495 Express Lanes. But in January 2013, a problem with his E-ZPass account caused an overdraft in his account.
“I got a letter in the mail saying, ‘We weren’t able to charge you for the toll, shame on you. Take care of it immediately. Future violations will result in administrative penalties.’ But by the time I got it, the future already happened,” says Metheny.
He says he called Transurban in late January, in February and in April of 2013. Each time, he sent documents from his E-ZPass account to Transurban, the private company that operates the 495 Express Lanes in a public-private partnership with the Commonwealth of Virginia.
But in mid-April, Metheny received a collections letter from Transurban. He called Transurban again on April 24.
“When I got the collections letter, I realized that about $11 now turned into nearly $800 in fines. I came unglued. Pick a word and I probably used it,” says Metheny.
Transurban agreed to research his case and call him back. But the agency never did. Metheny continued to use the 495 Express Lanes in 2013 and early 2014 without a problem. He says he didn’t hear anything from Transurban and assumed the agency just took the money out of his E-ZPass account.
https://www.wtop.com/1319/3580187/Driver-charged-with-6000-in-tolls