Defense and Compliance Attorneys
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Brooklyn resident Ian Chichester thought he was helping a family member by co-registering a car. Instead, he found himself trapped in what he now calls a bureaucratic nightmare. $3,234 in unpaid tolls turned into a staggering $35,034 debt, thanks to late fees from New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
In New York, a standard MTA bridge or tunnel toll for a passenger vehicle runs roughly $6 to $10
Toll costs depend on location and payment method.
For most E-ZPass users, missing a few tolls might seem like a small oversight. But under the MTA’s fine structure, every unpaid crossing can trigger a $50 penalty after 60 days.
For drivers who miss dozens (or in Chichester’s case, hundreds) of tolls, those fines pile up faster than rush-hour traffic on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
Chichester said he received a letter from the MTA on August 9, 2024, informing him that his unpaid tolls had ballooned to $35,034
When he called a week later, he said an MTA representative offered an 80% fee reduction, dropping the total to just over $10,000.
They gave him 30 days to accept. But when he called back within that period to finalize the payment plan, the MTA allegedly changed the deal. Instead, it cut the discount to 50%.
That left him facing three years of $560 payments for a debt he said wasn’t even his.
He explained that a family member who used the vehicle incurred the fines. That person never obtained an E-ZPass.
After CBS New York contacted the MTA, the agency reinstated his 80% discount but didn’t explain why it was reduced in the first place
According to CBS New York, even with the lowered balance, Chichester now owes about $250 a month for three years.
The MTA insists that its toll system is “fair”
Agency officials said their toll payer advocate program exists to help drivers reduce or restructure fines.
Chairman Janno Lieber said that “everyone has to pay their bills.” He compared unpaid tolls to unpaid credit card bills. Fees are the consequence of inaction, he said. But some drivers say at a certain point the MTA’s fees are lunacy in a vacuum, and the process for fee reduction is slow, confusing, and inconsistent.
When pressed by reporters, MTA Police Chief Thomas Taffe said the $50 fine is a one-time charge per missed toll but admitted he wasn’t aware of any formal written policy governing payment negotiations.
That uncertainty has left many New Yorkers questioning how a public agency can wield such unpredictable authority over fees.
For now, if you’re driving in New York, just know that a $6 toll can quickly turn into $56, and a few ignored notices can snowball into five figures.
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