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Time is running out to pay tolls penalty-free, 1.7M customers with unpaid tolls

Grace period ends at 11:59 p.m. on December 14
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Posted at 6:00 AM, Nov 15, 2022
and last updated 2022-12-14 17:48:07-05

Maryland drivers have until 11:59 p.m. on December 14 to pay any outstanding tolls before being charged a civil penalty.

The Customer Assistance Plan gave drivers a nine-month grace period to pay tolls penalty-free, including those backlogged from the pandemic. It was supposed to end on November 30, but the MDTA extended the deadline until 11:59 p.m. on December 14.

Any outstanding toll that hasn’t been paid by that date may be subject to a $25 civil penalty, delinquent accounts will be sent to collections, and the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration will resume vehicle suspensions for toll violators.

During the pandemic, the Maryland Transportation Authority paused processing toll transactions for seven months creating a massive backlog.

WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii reported extensively on these toll billing issues including drivers who were sent stacks of backlogged toll bills and waited hours to speak with a customer service representative by phone.

In response to these complaints and pressure from lawmakers, the MDTA Board approved the plan in February giving drivers more time to settle their debts and to alleviate demand for assistance.

RELATED: MDTA Board votes to temporarily waive late fees for outstanding toll bills

Drivers, however, said they’re still receiving backlogged toll bills.

“The last time I was here, I paid off everything,” said Richard Birkenbach at the Harbor Tunnel E-ZPass customer service center. “And they said everything’s wiped out. And then all of a sudden, I get all these new ones.”

Albert Queen has his toll bills organized in various stacks.

“Every time I come down and pay, it seems the following month I get additional tolls,” Queen said.

And as an accountant, Queen knows, if he doesn’t get his account squared away, he could owe a lot more.

“I paid these, and I was told this was all of them. Now, I got these just recently in the mail and I’m trying to get these resolved before the deadline and I get hit with the penalty,” said Queen.

MDTA Executive Director Will Pines said all backlogged transactions were posted in September. Mailed notices may arrive later, but the best way to check your account is to go online, call, or visit a customer service center.

As of October 31, $108 million in civil penalties have been waived for approximately 691,000 drivers and businesses. But around 1.7 million customers still have outstanding tolls and have not made any payments.

“At the Fort McHenry Tunnel, a video toll is $6 and a civil penalty is $25. So, if you have three outstanding video tolls that’s $18. If you pay that today, you walk away with $18. If you wait until after November 30th, that rises to you owing $93. That’s food on your table for Thanksgiving. So get in, pay your tolls, resolve it, and you save a lot of money,” said Executive Director Pines.

Pines added that they’re working on implementing payment plans, but they won’t be available before the program ends. However, the MDTA is able to reduce costs by signing up customers for an E-ZPass or pay-by-plate account, which saves 33 percent per unpaid toll.

“Come in and see us. We’ll work with you, we’ll try to come up with a way to relieve the debt and to manage that with the customer,” said Pines.

Vantee Forman was very pleased with the service she received at the Harbor Tunnel E-ZPass customer service center.

“I owed, so I came in here and they knocked it down a lot. I mean phenomenal,” Forman said.

She estimates she saved around $1,500 by paying her tolls before the deadline.

“Y’all, everyone needs to come and get this stuff paid for by the 30th and just get it done with,” said Forman.

Sofastaii asked Pines if the MDTA was considering bringing back toll booth operators. He said the agency transitioned to cashless during the pandemic for safety reasons but stayed with cashless to alleviate congestion and keep drivers at highway speeds. Collectors were transitioned into other jobs within MDTA and even if the agency wanted to go back to accepting cash, it doesn’t have the staff to do so.

Pines also recommends that drivers with an E-ZPass account also check online to see if they have any outstanding tolls.

“If you have an E-ZPass account and at any point went negative or had an expired credit card or something that would’ve put you to where you could’ve generated video tolls, go online and check just one time just to make sure your license plate doesn’t have any outstanding tolls,” said Pines.

You can check by clicking here and entering your license plate number and zip code.