The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has lost millions in unpaid tolls and related fees as it rolled out cashless tolling, a new audit found, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL reports.
The audit, released Tuesday from New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office, shows the transit authority hasn’t collected or has waived unpaid tolls to the tune of $11.3 million between 2012 and 2017. The audit found $72 million in related unpaid fees, and said the MTA often waived most motorist fees.
The audit didn’t compare New York’s lost toll money to other tolling authorities’ uncollected tolls, but experts said it is not unusual for states to lose money on uncollected tolls.
Part of the problem, the audit stated, came from an E-ZPass program called “On the Go,” or OTG, allowing motorists to buy prepaid passes at bridges. But motorists who exceeded their prepaid amounts were often hard to track if they did not register with the state before or after purchasing the pass, according to the audit. “While we understand the rationale behind OTG tags, their use and abuse has caused [the MTA] to lose significant revenue, and thus additional controls may be warranted,” the audit states, recommending that the MTA force OTG users to register when they purchase the pass. read more at THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
{Matzav.com}
