The Port Authority has failed to collect approximately $114 million in tolls over the past five years, the Daily News has learned.
The cash-strapped authority has allowed thousands of motorists to zoom right through E-ZPass lanes without paying a dime, according to data obtained via a Freedom of Information Law request.
The agency has failed to take legal action against most of the toll evaders, court records show.
Some scofflaws owe more than $100,000, including fines, after sailing past tolls hundreds of times, the data reveal.
STATE WORKERS FOUND USING GOVERNMENT-ISSUED E-ZPASS TAGS TO PAY FOR PERSONAL TRIPS
The number of unpaid tolls has gone up since 2011 — from $14.3 million in 2011 to $30.5 million in 2015.
That, in part, is due to yearly toll increases, agency insiders said.
Port Authority honchos have been struggling to nail the leadfooted drivers for years.
Gov. Cuomo announced plans in November for a new regulation to allow the state Department of Motor Vehicles to suspend the registration of any driver who piles up five unpaid tolls over an 18-month period.
The Port Authority operates the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, the George Washington, Bayonne and Goethals bridges and the Outerbridge Crossing.
Despite the rise in scofflaws, the agency collected a record $1.5 billion in tolls last year, records show.
“We think drivers are paying more than their fair share,” said AAA spokesman Robert Sinclair.
AAA is suing the Port Authority over the toll increases that started in 2011.
“We felt they were excessive and the money was being used for the Interstate Transportation Network,” which includes trains and buses, Sinclair said.
“Everybody has to pay, but we think that what’s being paid is excessive,” he added.
