The New York State Thruway Authority has made progress in improving the accuracy of toll collections, according to a new audit by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The review found that while most drivers are billed correctly, some issues remain with unreadable license plates, inaccurate charges, and oversight of non-revenue tags.
“The Thruway Authority has come a long way since it first introduced cashless tolls, but some problems remain,” DiNapoli said. “Even a smaller percentage of unreadable or inaccurate tolls can mean loss of revenue to the state or aggravation for New Yorkers facing incorrect bills. I appreciate the efforts the Authority has undertaken to fix the issues we identified.”
Toll and related revenues increased from $804 million in 2021 to $1 billion in 2024, with E-Z Pass now accounting for 95% of all tolls collected. A previous audit in May 2023 had highlighted areas where collection processes needed improvement.
In this latest assessment, auditors examined collections over three weeks and discovered that about 92,000 tolls could not be charged due to unreadable license plates. At interchange 25A near Schenectady, there were approximately 36,000 incorrectly charged tolls and another 8,000 that should have been charged but were not—an error rate close to 5%.
The audit also noted insufficient oversight regarding more than 12,000 non-revenue E-Z Pass tags and certain discounted tags. In a random sample of these non-revenue tags, documentation supporting eligibility was missing for 61%, raising questions about proper use.
The Office of the Toll Payer Advocate (TPA), established in December 2019 to help customers resolve billing disputes and reduce violation fees based on set criteria, did not always adhere to its own guidelines. Out of fifty cases reviewed by auditors, twelve received fee reductions exceeding permitted amounts without clear documentation explaining why exceptions were made.
Another issue highlighted was the lack of an effective process for handling undeliverable mail sent to drivers regarding unpaid tolls or past due notices. In a review of forty-eight such notices mailed out by the Authority’s vendor, twenty-five were returned as undeliverable; most continued being sent to invalid addresses without resolution.
The audit recommended nine steps for improvement including reviewing collections at Exit 25A for accuracy; conducting periodic reviews of transactions; ensuring eligibility documentation for non-revenue and discount tags; and properly documenting settlements outside standard guidelines.
According to DiNapoli’s office, Thruway officials generally agreed with the findings and have begun implementing some recommendations.
