Long Island drivers want brakes put on E-ZPass surcharge

? A surcharge has some Long Island E-ZPass users and lawmakers upset. Ron Gerber, of Roslyn Estates, says he likes his E-ZPass because it saves him time instead of waiting in toll lines, but he wants

News 12 Staff

Mar 19, 2006, 4:41 AM

Updated 6,835 days ago

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? A surcharge has some Long Island E-ZPass users and lawmakers upset.
Ron Gerber, of Roslyn Estates, says he likes his E-ZPass because it saves him time instead of waiting in toll lines, but he wants to do away with the dollar-a-month surcharge the MTA has imposed. Many drivers tell News 12 Long Island they were unaware the MTA started charging the fee last summer and call it sneaky. The Automobile Club agrees, saying the MTA collects about $1 billion each year in tolls, but spends a third of that money on highways. A spokesperson for the agency says the fee was approved at a public board meeting.
State Senator Mike Balboni (R-East Williston) has proposed a bill to abolish the fee. The State Senate is expected to vote on the issue March 20.