(TRENTON) – Thousands of commuters travel through E-ZPass toll booths daily. Aiming to ensure residents are notified expeditiously of an overcharge on their account, Democratic Assembly members Roy Freiman, Daniel Benson, and Patricia Egan Jones sponsored legislation to immediately notify customers of a toll fee. The measure cleared the full Assembly 71-4.
“It is a reasonable expectation that when a consumer is charged with something, they immediately receive a receipt,” said Freiman (D-Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset). “This already happens with all other transactions; why not include our electronic toll system?”
Specifically, the bill (A-4971) would require the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority to install and operate, in each lane of every toll plaza that uses E-ZPass, a device that transmits immediate notification to a customer with a system account when passing through the toll plaza, to alert the customer that the system has registered the customer’s account.
“An E-ZPass customer should know immediately if their account is being charge,” said Benson (D-Mercer, Middlesex). “They should be notified or able to check in real-time to prevent an excessive bill at the end of the month.”
“Many commuters know exactly the amount it takes to travel to and from work and budget their E-ZPass accordingly,” said Egan Jones (D-Camden, Gloucester). “Overcharging can lead to spending more on commuting than expected in a month. E-ZPass billing should be more transparent for New Jersey’s customers.”
The notification may occur by electronic mail, a text message sent directly to a customer’s mobile device, or through a mobile application. The bill would require the installation and operation of devices at toll plazas on the State’s three toll roads, the New Jersey Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway, and the Atlantic City Expressway.
This act shall take effect immediately, but shall not infringe upon any contract that is currently in place.
It will now go to the Senate for further review.