Cashless tolling complaints

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)--- Senator Joe Griffo said he’s been hearing complaints about overcharges on the New York State Thruway.

"I had several here initially, this was just something very routine for me. Several people calling we had this problem, so we made the inquiry and suggested that they look at and hopefully fix it," stated Griffo.

Senator Griffo wrote a letter to Thruway Authority Executive director, Matthew Discoll, referencing one specific incident that was brought to his attention— a constituent indicated she was charged $6, when she should have been charged 67 cents.

The Thruway Authority sent a letter in response which said, “Since cashless tolling went live across the entire Thruway System in November 2020, more than 480 million transactions have been successfully recorded.”

In a follow up letter, Discoll stated that after talking to Griffo’s constituent, the authority learned that the E-Z Pass wasn’t properly mounted and therefore able to be read. He added that because of this, the system worked as intended and the vehicle was properly billed. However, her account was credited.

"What I would like to see is ownership and responsibility for the fact that this is their system, we know it’s new technology. There will be glitches, but we want them to acknowledge address and fix the issue," said Griffo.

Griffo has called on Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s office to further look into this matter. According to the those in the Comptroller's Office, an audit of toll collections at the New York State Thruway Authority began in the Spring, but they could not further comment on the ongoing audit.