Pearl River family racks up thousands in fines from cashless tolls

<p>A Pearl River man says his son racked up thousands in fines from using the cashless tolls on the Gov. Mario Cuomo Bridge and never received notices.</p>

News 12 Staff

Nov 16, 2017, 11:07 PM

Updated 2,360 days ago

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The cashless tolls at the Gov. Mario Cuomo Bridge have become a costly venture for one Pearl River family.
John Power says his son is facing a nearly $7,000 bill for a year's worth of tolls and fines from crossing the bridge. He says from June 2016 to July 2017 his son never received any monthly statements.
"Violations are a 2000 percent markup," says Power. "It has to be illegal as far as I'm concerned."
News 12 reached out to the New York Thruway Authority, the agency responsible for billing drivers, to find out what went wrong. A spokesperson for the New York Thruway Authority says Power's son received bills to the mailing address his three cars are registered to. It's the same registrations the court suspended in August because Power didn't pay the bills.
Power says his son wouldn't lie and feels there is a much bigger problem.
The way the system works now is that drivers who don't have an E-ZPass are billed $5 to cross the bridge after a picture of their license is taken. 
However, Sen. David Carlucci says part of the process is flawed. He is pushing for a certified mail system, which would eliminate any doubt as to whether someone has received notices.


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