Transurban Are Thieves (the Virginia-side I-495/I-66 toll operators)

Submitted by AliceInSlaughterland t3_10qcoyt in washingtondc

I just got a bill from Transurban, the private company that operates the toll roads in NoVA, for $11.20 in unpaid tolls plus $75.00 in administrations fees ($12.50 per missed toll). As if that weren't insane enough, I have an active EZ-Pass that works just fine in Maryland and has plenty of money on it. How the hell is this legal? Why did Virginia allow a private company to operate tolls on roads that were paid for by taxpayers, and then allow them to charge exorbitant fines? They are an Australian company, and it appears that there's a class action lawsuit against them in Sydney for price gouging. I can see why!

For reference, my wife missed a toll on I-695 outside Baltimore (I moved the EZ-Pass and forgot to put it back), and MDOT charged her the toll plus a $1.00 mailing fee.

(EDIT: Transurban waived the $75 administrative fee “just this once.” But I still think it’s absurd to tack on a $12.50 fee for a $1.10 toll, and I still don’t like private companies handling the tolls on public roads.)

21

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

snuhgabuh t1_j6p7zmx wrote

I think this is a scam. I received something similar, check my account online, and none of the fees or charges were there. Just threw it away and moved on.

21

AliceInSlaughterland OP t1_j6pdme8 wrote

I don’t think it’s a scam. They have a photo of my license plate and the toll times look legit.

1

snuhgabuh t1_j6pgr6y wrote

I would find a way to contest it if you have an ezpass account.

6

tomveiltomveil t1_j6p7xnl wrote

I cannot encourage you to take advantage of this fun fact, but here is a fun fact for you: DC, MD, and VA are currently in a standoff where they cannot require non-residents to pay for automated tolls and fines.

16