For freedom lovers, EZ Pass is one of the big compromises of modern life. On the one hand, by using it we forfeit our anonymity and allow Big Bubba to track our whereabouts on the highways and byways. In exchange, we’re supposed to get modest discounts on tolls, allowing us to keep just a little bit more of our money from a government that takes far too much as it is.
So it is disconcerting to learn that New York’s various toll authorities aren’t holding up their end of the bargain for travelers coming from out-of-state. According to AAA’s Car & Travel magazine, only drivers who purchased their EZ Pass from a New York EZ Pass Customer Service Center (i.e., the MTA Bridges & Tunnel Authority, the New York State Bridge Authority, the Thruway Authority or the Port Authority) receive the EZ Pass discount on tolls. Anyone who got their EZ Pass in another state pays the cash rate, regardless of signs posted to the contrary.
Travelers are already wary about getting ripped off when they come to the Big Apple. It turns out the ripoffs begin literally the second they cross through the tollbooth.