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Thousands of residents of Maryland have recently reported all sorts of billing issues and errors regarding their E-ZPass accounts in associating with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDTA), and it seems to have hit a breaking point.
A petition on Change.org is closing in on 15,000 signees, requesting that Maryland Governor Larry Hogan create a task force to investigate the billing issues.
The petition reads:
Marylanders have been dealing with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDTA) issues with EZ Pass tolls for several months now. Bills from 2020 arriving over one year later, late fees of $25 being billed without having received any notices, stacks of bills being sent with threats of withholding vehicle registrations and tax refunds, transponders not working, and the list is endless. We are requesting that Governor Larry Hogan appoint a Task Force to address these issues, and while the Task Force investigates, that all actions and fines be held while doing so. We are also requesting that the actions and leadership of MDTA be reviewed.
E-ZPass users shared their frustrations with WBAL News as well.
"It was my own frustration after receiving what was going to be $700 in tolls and fines for an E-ZPass that we had fully funded. I have thrown over $500 into my E-ZPass account just to make it go away," says Caroline Huddleston of Queen Anne's County, who started the Change.org petition.
She says she has tried calling E-ZPass, stood in line for an hour at an E-ZPass service center only to be told to take it to court. Based on other stories she heard, she knew she one of far too many dealing with E-ZPass billing issues.
Janice Carrell says she has been used to paying around $28 to cross the Bay Bridge every day for work, but has been getting charged for "unused trips" which makes no sense.
"I'm coming across five days a week just like I always was. It seems like they are doing it every two or three weeks, they are just taking money out that for what? They've never done that before ever," she says.
Once the petition hits the 15,000 mark, it will be sent to the Governor. A board meeting between the directors of the agency that oversees the MDTA is holding a meeting on Thursday to talk about toll operations and customer service.
Who knows if anything will happen. It has been an issue for years at this point.