A professional NYC driver thought he was paying his E-ZPass tolls. Then he got a $14,000 bill.
A long-time New York City driver says he monitored his E-ZPass account and paid his tolls, but he was still hit with huge late fees.
Now, a $14,000 bill has forced him to stay parked, so he turned to CBS News New York investigative reporter Mahsa Saeidi for help.
$14,034.71 bill
Luis Corporan has been a professional driver licensed with the Taxi and Limousine Commission for more than a decade.
Driving is how the husband and father supports his family, but his car has been parked since Feb. 9 when the Department of Motor Vehicles suspended his registration for "failing to pay tolls, fees or other charges, as reported by" the MTA.
"As drivers, we have to be on top of it, but I was on top of it, paying my toll bills," Corporan said.
The DMV's suspension unit emailed Corporan a breakdown stating he owes the MTA $2,134.71 in tolls and $11,900 in fees, bringing the grand total to $14,034.71. The tolls date back years, and the fees are more than five times the tolls.
"When I heard the amount ... there was no words," Corporan said. "I just hung up the phone and started just thinking, where I get the money from?"
Corporan said he did receive some notices, but thought they were for tolls he had already paid through the app. He questions why his transponder appears to work at some tolls but not others.
"Why wasn't it reading it here, but then it actually started reading here?" he said.
Over a month without a paycheck
CBS News New York asked the MTA detailed questions about Corporan's account, including how the fees grew so large without him knowing.
The MTA did not answer a single question. Instead, a spokesman said, "People who pay their tolls don't pay fines."
As CBS News New York has previously reported, some people have made deals to reduce their bills, but the MTA won't say who gets a deal and why.
Corporan said when he tried to make a deal with the MTA, the agency offered to settle for roughly $8,000 but only if he paid by the end of the day.
Corporan didn't have the money then, and he says he has even less now after going more than a month without a paycheck.
"I have four girls ... and this is how I support them," he said.
MTA Chief Janno Lieber has said the agency has a toll payer advocate to help people in situations like this, but Corporan said he contacted the advocate on Feb. 17 and still has not heard back.
"I just want people to come together, come together and speak out, "Corporan said. "I'm not the first and I probably won't be the last."
Lawmaker wants to cap fees
Corporan's story is not unique. CBS News New York's series "Driven Into Debt" reveals a pattern: drivers who believe they're paying tolls who later get hit with a DMV suspension notice and a bill they never saw coming.
Chris Zimring, of Staten Island, said he was never notified about late fees and ended up owing $25,000. Melissa Lichtman said an error in her license plate number resulted in a bill over $3,000. Brooklyn resident Ian Chichester was hit with a $35,034.06 bill, but made a deal with the MTA for an 80% fee reduction, which brought the bill down to about $10,106.95.
The MTA says it "continues to be perplexed" by our coverage and calls these cases "willful persistent toll evasion."
"To me, that is just sheer not caring about people," State Assemblymember Mike Reilly said.
The MTA notes its fees are legal, citing various courts, but Reilly is trying to change that, introducing a bill to cap fees that he says are crippling his constituents.
"Even though something is legal doesn't necessarily mean it's the right thing to do," he said. "That just means that we haven't passed my legislation that caps what they can charge."
Consider this: while the MTA's fees can reach tens of thousands of dollars, the New York State Thruway's fees max out at $600 a year.
As we continue to look into the MTA's fee system and their policies, drivers who want to share their experiences can reach out to Mahsa Saeidi by clicking here.
