Res. No. 466
Resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the New York State Governor to sign, S.9493/A.9070, “The Toll Payer Advocacy and Relief Act,” which makes improvements to the cashless tolling and tolling by mail collection systems by providing relief from excessive fines and adequate time to pay the original amount of tolls owed, without penalty
By Council Members Morano, Zhuang and Louis
Whereas, Cashless tolling and tolling by mail collection systems are newer methods of toll collection used throughout New York State (“NYS”) and other states; and
Whereas, For cashless tolling, NYS utilizes E-ZPass, which is a prepaid account used to pay for tolls; and
Whereas, For tolling by mail, NYS uses Tolls by Mail, which is a system in which tolls are sent via mail to owners of vehicles, based on a photograph of the license plate; and
Whereas, Since the adoption of E-ZPass and Tolls by Mail, drivers in New York have complained about insufficient notification, poor communication with the toll collecting authorities, and lack of ability to dispute errors in the administration of tolls and fines; and
Whereas, Among the complaints around these systems that were reported in a 2023 article from The City were: a 26 year-old Queens resident who owed almost $5,800 in fees to the NYS Thruway Authority, which stemmed from about $735 in tolls that began in 2020; and a 30 year-old Bronx resident who was unaware that they owed around $700 to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (“PANYNJ”), over $1,000 to the NYS Thruway Authority, and $100,000 to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, due to tolls accrued by a different driver; and
Whereas, According to The City article, many complain about the disparate amount of billing fees that can be incurred compared to the amount of the original tolls, with some being charged a $100 fee on tolls as small as $1, if not paid within the first 30 days; and
Whereas, These practices can result in penalties that are grossly disproportionate to the original toll amounts owed, placing undue financial burdens on working- and middle-class New Yorkers; and
Whereas, In addition to these issues, E-ZPass system upgrades, outages, and related billing issues have led to reports of missed discounts, incorrect toll charges, and delayed violations; and
Whereas, For example, in April 2025, NYS tolling authorities conducted a multi-day E-ZPass system upgrade during which customer account access, payment systems, and customer service functions were unavailable; and
Whereas, Following this system upgrade, constituents reported issues such as delayed transaction postings, missed discounts, incorrect toll charges, and confusion regarding account balances and violations; and
Whereas, Furthermore, failures in coordination between NYS, New Jersey, and PANYNJ tolling systems have resulted in New Yorkers incorrectly receiving violations and administrative fees for tolls incurred during periods when tolling systems were unavailable or accounts were not properly credited; and
Whereas, S.9493, sponsored by NYS Senator Andrew Lanza, and A.9070, sponsored by NYS Assemblymember Michael Reilly, also known as “The Toll Payer Advocacy and Relief Act,” would seek to improve these cashless tolling and tolling by mail collection systems by: requiring the NYS Department of Transportation (“DOT”) to conduct a statewide study and review of the tolling authorities’ regulations and policies in relation to the toll collection systems; capping fines, fees or administrative charges for the late payment of a toll at 10% of the amount of such toll owed; allowing tolls to be paid within 180 days from the date of the incurred toll, without penalty; freezing penalty charges during formal disputes; requiring each relevant toll payer advocate office to respond to every request for assistance by an owner within 48 hours and settle any request for assistance within 60 days; requiring the NYS DOT to maintain a central website with the contact information for each authority’s relevant toll payer advocate office and customer service center, and include information for each public authority’s online registration system for electronic means of communication alerts that a toll has been incurred; and requiring an amnesty provision for each authority to implement a program to allow any vehicle owner to pay all tolls due in full within 180 days from the effective date of the act and have all other penalties waived; and
Whereas, The Toll Payer Advocacy and Relief Act seeks to address inefficient tolling procedures currently in place that result in excessive penalties for late toll payments, and make these systems more transparent and efficient; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the New York State Governor to sign, S.9493/A.9070, “The Toll Payer Advocacy and Relief Act,” which makes improvements to the cashless tolling and tolling by mail collection systems by providing relief from excessive fines and adequate time to pay the original amount of tolls owed, without penalty.
KK
LS 23103
5/6/26