Tolls spell ‘cashless’ MTA: audit

ALBANY — As the state has moved to cashless tolling, tens of millions of dollars in MTA bridge and tunnel tolls and fines have gone unpaid, a new audit by state Controller Thomas DiNapoli found.

The audit found that while MTA Bridges & Tunnels generally attempted to collect unpaid tolls, $11.3 million was written off or uncollected from November 2012 through January 2017.

In addition, auditors found $72 million in unpaid fees that were supposed to be attached to tolls that went uncollected on the Henry Hudson Bridge from 2013 through 2015. In many cases, as much as 90% of fees that were due upon the receipt of payment of unpaid tolls were waived. The MTA told auditors the waiver policy leads to a higher collection rate of unpaid tolls.

The audit also says the MTA has not aggressively used the option of seeking suspensions of vehicle registrations for those who did not pay their tolls.

MTA spokesman Jon Weinstein argued that DiNapoli is using “outdated data that is no longer applicable” because of the new tolling system.