E-ZPass, Tolls by Mail websites to be down for days as they are consolidated

The E-ZPass and Tolls by Mail websites and customer services telephone lines are consolidating, a process that will prevent drivers from paying their bills and accessing their accounts for several days next month, transportation officials said.

Since electronic toll collection systems replaced cash and tollbooth attendants, drivers who don't have E-ZPass transponders have had their license plates recorded as they drove under cameras and then have been billed through Tolls by Mail, a payment system that has long been accessed through a separate website and telephone number.

Starting April 15, Tolls by Mail customers will pay their bills and access their accounts through e-zpassny.com or E-ZPass’s customer service line, 800-333-8655, according to a news release from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, one of the transportation agencies that relies on the toll-collection services.

But before this consolidation is complete, customers will have no way to access their account or pay their bill from 7 p.m. April 9 through 11:59 p.m. April. 14, the MTA said. The Tolls NY mobile phone application, which is already a single method to pay either E-ZPass or Tolls by Mail bills, will also be offline during this period.

Bridge crossers and tunnel travelers are “encouraged” to pay their bills or make changes to their accounts before April 9, according to the release.

The reason for the consolidation was "to enhance customer convenience," New York State Thruway Authority executive director Frank G. Hoare said in a statement.

License plate and E-ZPass readers will continue to capture tolls during the days customers cannot access their accounts, the MTA said. Also during this upgrade period, agencies will “temporarily delay late fee charges and escalations to collections” and “temporarily extend Tolls by Mail payment due dates” until after April 15, the release reads.

“We understand the temporary inconvenience the offline period may cause but the improvements will be well worth it,” MTA bridges and tunnels President Catherine Sheridan said in a statement.

The updated E-ZPass website will have a live chat feature for customers who need help from a customer service agent during business hours and will allow Tolls by Mail customers “to update their address without having to speak with a customer representative and add their email and mobile phone number” to their account to receive various alerts, according to the release.

Both the website and the Tolls NY app will allow customers to pay with Apple Pay and Google Pay, according to the MTA. Newly formatted toll bills will include account numbers to use as a search option.

The E-ZPass telephone line will have a redesigned automated system with “a new payment prompt as the first option, which is the most common task,” the release reads.

“We appreciate drivers’ patience as we launch a new, user-friendly platform for E-ZPass customers with our partners across the region,” Robin Bramwell-Stewart, deputy director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s tunnels, bridges and terminals department, said in a statement. “This update will make a world of difference for the region’s travelers, streamlining the process to pay tolls, enroll in discount programs, utilize new payment channels or dispute a charge, while enabling customers to get help from a chatbot or engage directly with live agents if any issues arise.”