Tom Warne Report, 25 May 2012
WASHINGTON – Some toll authorities are giving local drivers discounted toll rates while charging more to out-of-towners on the same roads and bridges. In the Northeast and Midwest, 24 tolling agencies in 14 states utilize the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system, which is able to decipher where drivers bought their pass and the different prices.
For example, a driver traveling the entire length of the New Jersey Turnpike during off-peak times would be charged $10.40 if their pass was purchased from the turnpike’s authority. If a driver pays cash, or bought a pass from another toll operator, the charge is $13.85. In Rhode Island, residents using an E-ZPass pay 83 cents to cross the Pell Bridge, whereas out-of-state vehicles pay $4 ($2 per axle), the same price as paying with cash.
According the AAA, similar arrangements are in place in Maine, New Hampshire, and West Virginia. Even if a driver visits the tolling authority’s website, they are unlikely to discover the different prices, as most authorities only post the cash price, not showing the discount some motorists are getting, said Jeffrey Frediani, a legislative analyst with the AAA’s New York chapter. “There is no reason for one authority to charge some E-ZPass holders a higher toll except, unfortunately in our estimation, to take advantage of drivers who may be from out of state,” said AAA President Robert Darbelnet in a complaint last month to the agency that coordinates the E-ZPass system.
There are reasons to have variable rates on electronic tolling systems and this proliferation will continue. A good example would be a discount for those who must use the toll facility as a “local” route because they live in proximity to the roadway versus those passing through. Fairness must prevail; authorities must avoid any real or perceived favoritism so exemptions or reduced rates for special interest groups should not be allowed. A classic example of favoritism for a special interest group here in Utah is the concrete pump industry which isn’t required to pay normal registration fees on pump trucks because “they spend all their time on job sites and don’t use the roads.” Remember that next time one passes you on the highway. TW