(Newswire.net — August 4, 2022) —
Bay Area Toll Authority has about $184 million to collect from drivers, which includes unpaid bridge tolls of about $50 million and late payments penalty fees of about $134 million.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission released that about 400,000 drivers have outstanding toll fees and fines between $22 to $88, 101,000 drivers have between $110 to $418, and collection agencies will contact 13,000 drivers because their debt is over $1,600.
This enormous debt arose due to the emergence of COVID-19, which made the Metropolitan Transport Commission put a hold on forwarding toll fee violations to the California Department of Motor Vehicles in March 2020. The agency also suspended the collection of cash tolls on Bay Area bridges and introduced the FasTrak transponder as a supplementary means of making toll payments.
However, The BATA’s Oversight Committee voted on Wednesday, June 8, to switch back to the pre-pandemic policies, forwarding unpaid violations to the DMV, which can then forbid drivers from renewing their car registration until their debts are paid.
The plan has been approved, and bay drivers with outstanding toll fees are expected to receive notices via mail soon.
Low-income communities, who rely on their cars for daily activities, would be significantly affected by this plan, and this has been a major concern to Advocates. At the June 8 BATA meeting, Supervisor Hillary Ronen stated thus, “I don’t even know how a family of four survives in the Bay Area on $55,000,”
“DMV holds unfairly affect low-income drivers. They should never be used,” Candy Smallwood, a staff attorney at the East Bay Community Law Center, said on June 8 during the BATA meeting. She also said, “The DMV holds forces people to choose between breaking the law and getting to work or to and from doctor’s appointments. DMV holds criminalize poverty.”
Nevertheless, The MTC’s Bay Area Transport Authority still stands on executing its plan; they see the crackdown as a necessary means to recover the $184 million debt the public owes before 2024, when the unpaid fees would start to expire.
Also, The agency plans to allow those within the 200% of the federal poverty level (about $27,000 annually per person, or $55,000 for a family of four) to pay by instalments, thereby easing the burden. While reviewing this plan, it’s revealed that a huge number of people won’t benefit from this plan because they didn’t meet the criteria, thereby left struggling with their debts.
Spokesperson John Goodwin said to SFGATE, “We’re obliged to be a careful steward of a vital public asset,” he explained further that they are obliged to collect tolls fees to pay for bridge maintenance, voter-approved projects and to pay off debt on bonds issued for major construction like the Retrofit project on the Bay Bridge.
Before January 2023, MTC will implement the plan laid by director Therese McMillan, which he described as “an aggressive public awareness” to inform the Bay Area drivers about the low-income means-based payment plan they will probably not qualify for. Moreso, The first non-commercial violation notice would begin after the campaign.
Bridge tolls are unavoidable (like Goethals bridge toll), it’s either you pay or it piles up. Many Bay Area Users met themselves in toll debts not because they didn’t want to pay but because they knew no means. Paul Briley, a Bay Area User, said, “This was something I wasn’t worried about before the pandemic. I pay my dues. I mean, if somebody were there, I would have paid. It’s not like I was trying to beat the system”.
However, those worries have come to an end. Without the toll collectors, tags or transponders, you can get your fees paid easily and on time with Uproad.
Uproad is an app that allows you to use toll roads, skip cash lanes, pay toll fees easily, track your toll road usage, and plan travel expenses conveniently with just your phone.
How do you get started? Install the app, create an account using your vehicle plate number, and choose your toll charge payment method. Once your vehicle is active, you can pay your toll fees on the go!
Why should you choose Uproad?
● You don’t have to open the app while driving; put it in your car, and it will take the tracks.
● You don’t have to wait to pay or collect change at toll roads.
● Toll bills are always paid on time—no more penalty for paying late.
● The Toll Alert feature allows you to see toll charge estimates in real time
● The Trip Calculator provides you with an estimated cost of your trip beforehand. You can now travel on a budget.
● You’ll experience open road freedom throughout your trip.
● Our app is easy to use. Set it and forget about it.
Uproad makes using roads a lot easier and faster. It automates your payment, and you can see all payments right in the app.
Get Uproad today, and enjoy a beautiful ride on the road!