A seasoned driver from New York City found himself in a financial nightmare when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) unexpectedly slapped him with over $14,000 in E-ZPass late fees, leading to the suspension of his license. This came despite his assertion that he had consistently paid his tolls on time.
Luis Corporan, who has long held a license with the Taxi and Limousine Commission, has been unable to earn a living since receiving a notice from the Department of Motor Vehicles on February 9. The notice detailed the suspension of his driving privileges and outlined the accumulating fees and penalties for tolls Corporan believed he had settled, according to a report by CBS New York.
Corporan, a dedicated family man with a wife and four children, expressed frustration over the MTA’s refusal to address his urgent requests for an appeal. “As drivers, we have to stay on top of our payments, and I did just that. I paid my tolls,” he shared with the news outlet.
Recalling the shock of the situation, Corporan said, “When I heard the amount, I was speechless. I hung up the phone and could only think about how I would find the money to resolve this.”
The financial burden stretches back several years, with Corporan facing charges for $2,134 in alleged unpaid tolls and a staggering $11,900 in late fees.
The charges stretch back years, leaving him on the hook for $2,134 in unpaid tolls and $11,900 in late fees, Corporan said.
While he had received ocassional notices from the MTA, the stunned driver thought they were for tolls he had already paid through the app. He’s also now wondering why his E-ZPass tag worked at some tolls but not others, according to the outlet.
“Why wasn’t it reading it here, but then it actually started reading here?” Corporan explained, staring at the breakdown of the staggering bill.
When Corporan tried to work out a deal with the MTA’s toll payer advocate, he said the agency offered to settle for about $8,000 – but only if he paid by the end of the day. Without that kind of money, and with even less now, his debt continues to pile up.
The MTA sidestepped the issue when CBS inquired about Corporan’s case.
“People who pay their tolls don’t pay fines,” the agency told the outlet, calling the case and others the outlet has reported on examples of “willful persistent toll evasion.”
The MTA did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
While similar penalties have reportedly crippled other Big Apple drivers, state Assemblyman Mike Reilly is pushing for a bill to cap the eye-popping fees the MTA insists are legal.
“To me, that is just sheer not caring about people,” Reilly told CBS of the transportation agency.
“Even though something is legal doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right thing to do. That just means that we haven’t passed my legislation that caps what they can charge.”
