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In the wake of an independent review that found聽聽in Maryland鈥檚 toll-collection system, some legislators are urging their constituents to review their E-ZPass and credit card accounts to make sure they haven鈥檛 been over-billed.
In addition, a General Assembly committee is preparing to hold a hearing this fall on problems with the Maryland Transportation Authority鈥檚 toll-collection operation.
罢丑别听, by the Office of Legislative Audits (OLA), found that thousands of motorists were over-charged during a year-long period 鈥� from May 2019 to July 2020 鈥� that saw a switch in vendors and the installation of new equipment.
Many of the over-charges involved two-axle vehicles that were read by electronic sensors as having three or more axles. Other vehicles were double-billed for a single pass beneath a toll gantry.
Although the agency credited customer accounts in some instances, 鈥渋t did not ensure all customers were refunded for any over-billing,鈥� investigators concluded.
In addition, OLA auditors said that while the authority was aware of problems with tolling equipment at four facilities 鈥� the Fort McHenry Tunnel, the Intercounty Connector, the Interstate 95 Express Toll Lanes, and the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge 鈥� 鈥渙ur review鈥� also disclosed an issue at the Francis Scott Key Bridge that MDTA had not previously documented.鈥�
In its formal response, the MDTA acknowledged some issues, disputed others, and agreed to make necessary fixes by Dec. 1.
Dels. Kevin B. Hornberger (R-Cecil) and Sara Love (D-Montgomery) are among the lawmakers urging their constituents to go back and review their accounts.
鈥淎ll of this technology was supposed to make our lives easier,鈥� Hornberger said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 getting to the point where you can鈥檛 swing a dead cat in Cecil County without hitting somebody that鈥檚 had a negative impact with E-ZPass.鈥�
He said the breakdowns in the system are undermining the public鈥檚 confidence in it. 鈥淧eople have difficulty involving themselves in a process that鈥檚 inherently broken.鈥�
Del. Carol L. Krimm (D-Frederick), the House chair of the legislature鈥檚 Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee, said the panel will hold a hearing in late November or early December to determine whether the MDTA has fully addressed the problems.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want people to ever feel that the government is being unfair to them, whether it鈥檚 tolling or whatever,鈥� she said.
鈥淲hen you have government agencies that have employed these systems that are malfunctioning, and there doesn鈥檛 seem to be a clear effort to clear that up, then that does present a fairness issue to the public.鈥�
During a meeting with Cecil County officials last month, MDTA Executive Director James F. Ports Jr. disputed elements of the OLA鈥檚 findings, saying that system algorithms had flagged issues before the audit began.
鈥淲e reimbursed all those people,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I鈥檓 not sure where the controversy is with that one.鈥� He said the authority credited 5,646 motorists a total of $67,000.
One Cecil official recently told Transportation Secretary Greg Slater and his team that she had to seek reimbursement after her sedan was mistakenly charged as if it were an 18-wheeler.
In response to the audit, state transportation officials pointed to a 鈥減erfect storm鈥� of factors that led to the billing errors 鈥� chief among them the installation and testing of new equipment, the decision to switch contractors, and the workplace challenges imposed by the pandemic.
The decision to pull toll-takers off the job at the start of the COVID-19 crisis forced the agency to discontinue cash tolls two years earlier than planned, Slater added.
Lawmakers said they are looking for assurances that MDTA has fully scrubbed the system of its shortcomings and that everyone receives the refunds they are entitled to.
鈥淚t seems like some of these incorrect charges would not have been picked up had it not been for the audit,鈥� said Sen. Clarence K. Lam (D-Howard), Senate chair of the audit and evaluation committee. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure that they have a full grasp of why these incorrect charges occurred in a lot of these circumstances.鈥�
Although many motorists go months without paying a toll, Hornberger said residents of Cecil, in the northeast corner of Maryland, along I-95, encounter them routinely, making the discrepancies a big deal.
鈥漈his is a headache that they don鈥檛 want,鈥� he said of the authority. 鈥淚 know they鈥檙e working diligently to fix it. But we鈥檝e got to get to a good place with this, and soon.鈥�
