Modified: June 18, 2021 5:01pm
Created: June 18, 2021 6:38am
June 18, 2021
Hon. Thomas P. DiNapoli
New York State Comptroller
110 State Street
Albany, NY 12236
Dear Comptroller DiNapoli:
An issue negatively impacting Southtowns taxpayers has arisen with E-Z Pass that I would like to make you aware of. Several people living south of Buffalo have reported being overcharged on their E-Pass bills, specifically at an exit that primarily serves Hamburg. I am asking you to please review this matter further, so that if in fact this is the case, the issue can be rectified, and taxpayers made whole.
For example, at Exit 56 (Blasdell), for commuters who only travel the distance equivalent to one toll booth, the toll is thirteen cents. However, some drivers are reporting being charged as much as $3.87 on several occasions. According to some reports, drivers are reporting the overcharge to E-Z Pass but are only being reimbursed for a portion of the overcharge.
Another issue brought to light is the 30-cent charge at Exit 57 (Hamburg), and Exit 55 (Lackawanna) for those traveling through two booths for their daily commute to and from Buffalo, toll plazas that historically charged twenty-five cents. I’ve heard from some taxpayers that they were not informed of the increase, and question why they are paying ten cents more per day, when the cost to operate the toll plazas would presumably decrease with the elimination of toll collectors.
If commuters are being overcharged for tolls, they are rightfully due a full refund. Please let us know what can be done to correct this potentially significant issue. We stand ready to help in whatever way we can to protect the taxpayers we serve.
Sincerely,
Hon. David J. DiPietro Hon. Stefan I. Mychajliw
NYS ASSEMBLYMAN ERIE COUNTY COMPTROLLER
CC: Matthew J. Driscoll, New York State Thruway Authority Executive Director
Kim McKinney, New York State Thruway Authority Chief Information Officer
For pdf of letter, click HERE