MTA cracks down on toll cheats, collects $1 million, confiscates cars

[rickmastfan67]

Why can't they do this in PA as well? So many plates are covered with dark covers or have defaced/worn characters. Some of this is due to poor plate manufacturing but even the inspection mechanics don't always want to sign off on new plates (my dad tried - had to go to the police to get a free plate replacement approved).

Don't get me started on this here in PA.  I've seen SO MANY plates that are completely trashed with only maybe 1% of the color left on them, yet the car is in immaculate condition.

I sometimes wish there was a way to report these, as I want them to pay their fair share on the Turnpike if I have to.

[MikeTheActuary]

I wonder who the largest cheats are on the NY Thruway or the Tappan Zee?

In toll-by-mail scenarios, are you a toll cheat if your home state doesn't provide the mechanism for the toll authority to mail you a bill?

I drove an extended distance on ON 407 the summer before last.  I can't pay a toll bill that I never received.....

[kalvado]

I wonder who the largest cheats are on the NY Thruway or the Tappan Zee?

In toll-by-mail scenarios, are you a toll cheat if your home state doesn't provide the mechanism for the toll authority to mail you a bill?

I drove an extended distance on ON 407 the summer before last.  I can't pay a toll bill that I never received.....

At least some authorities allow you to pay without a bill, just provide a plate.
I am not sure if failure to do so is "cheating", though. Messing with the license plate is a totally different dimension of the problem.

[Daniel Fiddler]

I never cheated on a toll myself, although once when I was living down in Orlando I was wrongfully charged for doing so.  My Sunpass transponder ran out of battery without me realizing it and a Florida highway patrol officer charged me with "violating the toll".  My transponder was in the car with me, it just ran out of battery.  And my license plate was registered, so Sunpass charged me the $1 toll to my account which had money in it.  I showed the judge where I ended up paying the toll on my account toll by plate, I was a very loyal Sunpass customer and used toll roads REGULARLY and paid hundreds of dollars if not one or two grand in tolls over the five years I lived in Florida.  I still got charged $240 by the judge in the county the "violation" occurred in.

My mother once ACCIDENTALLY cheated not realizing that you did not stop to pay in a Sunpass only lane when visiting Florida once with my late sister, my younger brother, and myself; they waved her on, she never did so again.  And my late father INTENTIONALLY cheated multiple times when he was living in Florida believing he was above paying tolls (this was during the time he was involved in a tax evasion scheme).  So I guess in a way I was paying for their cheating.  I complained to Sunpass, it didn't do much if any good, so I guess I figured, c'est la vie, it was FDOT collecting from me for what they did.  I am sure between the two of them (especially my late father) they cheated Florida close to $240 worth, maybe even more, even if my mother's was accidental.  So I guess fair is fair, even if they ended up collecting from the wrong person in the end.  I think Florida has or was supposed to this year go completely electronic this year so mistakes like that would not happen again.

[kphoger]

In toll-by-mail scenarios, are you a toll cheat if your home state doesn't provide the mechanism for the toll authority to mail you a bill?

I drove an extended distance on ON 407 the summer before last.  I can't pay a toll bill that I never received.....

At least some authorities allow you to pay without a bill, just provide a plate.

This.  It may very well be possible to pay the toll by calling 1-888-407-0407.  Or by sending an e-mail.  Or by starting a chat.

https://www.407etr.com/en/help/general/contact-us.html

[storm2k]

I wonder who the largest cheats are on the NY Thruway or the Tappan Zee?

In toll-by-mail scenarios, are you a toll cheat if your home state doesn't provide the mechanism for the toll authority to mail you a bill?

I drove an extended distance on ON 407 the summer before last.  I can't pay a toll bill that I never received.....

MTAB&T participates in the overall NYS Tolls by Mail NY system. You can go on there and look up your toll charges by license plate very easily and pay them via the website. People who are honest about these things will do that. People who did it by accident, well it happens and there's usually forgiveness for one mistake. The people getting nabbed in this situation are massive toll cheats who go out of their way to not pay.

[kalvado]

And in case someone wants to see James Bond like driving style:
Look at the license plate of white car.
https://www.reddit.com/r/nyc/comments/18s2c2t/saw_one_in_the_wild_last_night/

[Duke87]

What I hear from NYC is that people are loosing shame. Retail inventory shrink is a debatable subject. But overabundance of paper temporary plates, peeled off plates, bent plates spills over to our neck of the woods. Fare jumping in subway is another thing.

Given police and DAs are totally disinterested in anything that doesn't mean fine via plea or multi-year jail term .

The cops are disinterested in doing anything about defaced license plates because they're the ones driving around with them on their cars.