TEXAS TOLL TAG SNAFU

  

Thousands of Texas Toll Tag customers have received pay-by-mail bills in recent weeks, rather than having the tolls subtracted from their tag accounts at lower rates.

The glitch, the result of an attempt by toll agencies statewide to make Texas electronic toll tags usable in Kansas and Oklahoma, has clogged customer phone lines at TxTag and the offices that handle toll payments.

Officials say the bad bills began in about mid-May. It has affected toll transactions on a sporadic basis.

Many toll tag customers, whose toll charges are usually subtracted from their toll account, have instead received bills in the mail charging what is typically a 33 percent premium over a toll tag rate, plus administrative charges.

The unexpected billings in many cases led to customers calling in or visiting toll agency billing locations.

It is not clear how many of those who received the inflated bills simply paid them.

It’s also not known if the underlying problem has been resolved.

Tim Reilly, director of operations for the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, said his agency caught the problem earlier this month after about 1.6 million toll transactions had been affected.