Mary Schwager
With Big Dig repair costs skyrocketing and fears tolls will go up to pay for it, Hank discovered where the Masspike's actually losing millions of dollars a year. You pay your tolls but you won't believe who's getting a ‘Free Ride.’ Hank Investigates.
This SUV, about to hit the Mass Pike's Fast Lane, has a Massachusetts license plate. If the driver is not a Fast Lane customer and doesn't pay he won't get away with it, right?
Driver
"Everybody should have to pay the toll."
Correct. If you don't, Mass drivers get a notice from the Mass Pike demanding the money.
Now, see this dark blue car? It has a Connecticut plate. If the driver's not a Fast Lane customer, and doesn't pay he won't get away with it either, right?
Driver
"If there's a fine for me or anybody else in Massachusetts, there should be a fine for them."
Wrong. The Mass Pike wanted us to keep it secret but we found out of state drivers can blow through the Fast Lane without paying, time after time, and nothing will happen.
Now with people in shock over this deadly Big Dig collapse and many fearing for their own safety; with officials scrambling to pay tens of millions for intensive inspections, extensive repairs and expensive reconstruction; this "Fast Lane free ride" is a multi-million dollar loss, a double standard for drivers and
The chairman of the East Coast turnpike says the system is completely unfair.
Hank Phillippi Ryan
"If you go after every in-state violator, is it fair not to go after every out of state violator?"
Walter Kristlibas, E-Z Pass Interagency Group
"Of course not, on the face of it, it doesn't make any sense."
How often does it happen? Numbers we obtained prove last year alone more than a quarter million out of state cars that's 740 a day, went through the Mass Pike Fast Lane absolutely free.
Walter Kristlibas, E-Z Pass Interagency Group
"I can't imagine why something shouldn't happen."
What's more: it's not just toll money the Pike is losing. For a second violation Mass drivers are slapped with a fifty dollar fine. But for out of staters, still nothing happens. And not the third time, fourth time, fifth time, in fact, our investigation finds the Mass Pike doesn't hit out of staters with fines until they and evade the tolls more than eight times in thirty days.
Driver
"That's not very fair."
Drivers we told were astonished and enraged.
Driver
"That's not how it should work."
Driver
"That's not fair."
Bottom line, Our investigation calculates out of state drivers could be ripping off Massachusetts for a million dollars a year in unpaid tolls and more than 13 million in fines. Transportation experts wonder why the Mass Pike is letting it happen.
Hank
"That's a million dollars a month. Would that be worth it to try to collect?"
Robert Poole, Transportation Consultant
"That's too big a number to be letting it drain away like that. There needs to be a serious effort to go after that money."
That's exactly what other states do. You can't get away blowing the tolls when you drive out of town.
New York? New Jersey? New Hampshire? Drive through E-Z Pass there with out paying and Mass drivers will be charged a fine. Don't pay and your name may go to a collection agency.
Walter Kristlibas, E-Z Pass Interagency Group
"We could care less whether it comes from in state or out of state violators, we go after them equally, because it's the right thing to do."
So why doesn't the Mass Pike track down all out of state offenders? Officials would not go on camera but in an email told us: they've decided the expense of getting out of state driver information and difficulty in collecting fines means it's not cost effective.
Driver
"It's irresponsible, it's poor management."
Driver
"Taxpayers are going to have to pay for it."
Finally the Mass Pike asked us not to reveal this Fast Lane free ride, but experts say exposing a system that loses millions of dollars is something taxpayers should know.Hank
Officials want us to keep this a secret, should this be kept a secret.
Robert Poole, Transportation Consultant
"It's something that Mass drivers in particular should be incensed about."
We asked Governor Romney's office what they thought about the Mass Pike's toll collection system. Officials told us they were not aware of it and for now they say they have no comment.
(Copyright (c) 2006 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
