PA Bill Would Suspend Registrations For $250 In Unpaid Turnpike Tolls

PENNSYLVANIA — New legislation has been passed in the Pennsylvania General Assembly that officials hope will help the Pennsylvania Turnpike recoup some of its massive losses.

House Bill 1486 would drastically cut the threshold for vehicle registration suspensions following unpaid tolls and fees, from $500 to just $250. It now heads to the governor's desk. It's not yet clear if Gov. Tom Wolf will sign the bill.

The Turnpike says that so far, they've collected $11.4 million in tolls and fees by suspending more than 23,000 vehicle registrations through a partnership with PennDOT. The new legislation comes even after the Turnpike says they are planning to increase tolls by another 5 percent in 2023.

The Turnpike lost $104 million in uncollected tolls from June 2020 to May 2021. Millions of motorists without E-ZPass never paid tolls through the state's license plate camera system — a gap that was only made public after The Associated Press filed a Right to Know request and obtained an internal Turnpike report in September.

There appear to be various reasons for the loss, an internal memo from the Turnpike obtained by AP indicates. In 1.8 million riders, the camera could not identify the license plate. Issues with bill delivery affected more than 2.5 million more motorists. The attempt to recoup massive losses also comes amid historic inflation rates and a looming recession.

Pennsylvania Turnpike CEO Mark Compton, however, only acknowledged individuals not paying as a reason for the legislation.

"The fact is that uncollected tolls are largely due to drivers dodging their responsibilities," he said in a statement. "These customers receive invoices but simply choose not to pay."

The legislation would also trigger vehicle registration suspensions if the unpaid violations reach four (previously, the limit was six). It also extends the statute of limitations for punishing unpaid invoices from three years to five years.

Separate legislation has been introduced that would require more responsibility from the Turnpike. It would mandate the agency make an annual report — similar to its internal report — available to the House and Senate Transportation Committees.

E-Z Pass tolling rates in Pennsylvania rank 24th most expensive out of 47 state agenices in the nation.