Someone’s not paying up, eh?
Canadian drivers are racking up over a million-dollars-a-year in unpaid tolls, penalties and other fees on Port Authority crossings in New York and New Jersey, according to documents reviewed by The Post.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said 400 Canadian motorists end up in debt collections totaling $100,000 to $140,000 in unpaid tolls and fees every month — meaning $1.4 million in annual lost revenue for the agency, a bidding document the agency sent to debt collectors showed.
That’s still just a fraction of the overall income the PA has lost from toll evaders and deadbeats, with nearly $400 million lost per year, or $1.53 billion over four years.
“Ultimately, this takes a toll on the livelihoods of the good citizens of Staten Island and other motorists,” said Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, whose constituents have to pay a toll to drive into New Jersey.
“Thank goodness there is a new sheriff in town in President Trump, who is trying to restore a sense of accountability in the country. Hopefully, that results in people crossing the border and bridges lawfully — whether you are from Canada or otherwise.”
The PA crossings are among America’s busiest, including the George Washington Bridge and Holland and Lincoln tunnels. The PA also oversees the Bayonne Bridge, Goethals Bridge and Outerbridge Crossing connecting the Garden State and the Empire State.
Trump should take up the issue of Canadians’ massive toll debt as he imposes tariffs on Canadian produced goods, said Assemblyman Michael Tannousis, also chairman of the Staten Island Republican Party.
“The Trump administration needs to step in and address the issue of Canadians who are toll deadbeats,” said Tannousis.
“If I were visiting another country and didn’t pay my bill,” Tannousis said, “I would be held accountable before I could leave the country.”
A source close to the bidding process said the PA would have to hire a debt service collector with a Canadian business license to have any chance of collecting the debt.
Most of the toll violators don’t have E-Z Pass and are billed by mail after a picture of their license plate is recorded but many ignore the bills and don’t pay.
Toll violations totalled $350 million in 2020, $396.4 million in 2021, $387.6 million in 2022 and $399.2 million in 2023, the PA said. This includes court fees, penalties and interest in addition to the uncollected tolls.
PA officials told debt collectors 60% of toll violators are from New York (31%) or New Jersey (29%), which means 40% are from out of the region. The average toll debtor account is $330, according to PA documents.
Last year, PA said it’s toll evasion operations resulted in nearly 17,000 summonses — a 27% increase over 2023.
The PA insisted it’s on the case and ratcheting up enforcement of toll scofflaws, though it declined to provide any more specifics on what’s owed from Canadian scofflaws or all deadbeats.
“We are rigorously addressing the issue of toll evasion and illegal vehicles on our roadways through aggressive enforcement of the enhanced penalties for wrongdoers recently provided by both states,” said PA spokesman Seth Stein.
“We work closely with our fellow law enforcement agencies and the state motor vehicle departments to catch scofflaws and employ technologies like license plate readers that allow us to identify and detain egregious violators and drivers who seek to deter enforcement by techniques to obscure their license plates and other identifiers,” Stein added. “Toll revenue helps fund the region’s essential infrastructure and we expect every driver to pay their share.”
These figures don’t include unpaid MTA-run tolls and fees, with The Post reporting last week that deadbeat drivers racked up $5.1 billion in over four years — including $1.4 billion last year.
Read the full article here
