Texas toll roads: Hundreds of drivers sound off about toll billing issues, one nearly $69,000
TxTag's big bills spark outcry among Texas drivers
Drivers in Texas are outraged over sky-high toll road bills, reaching as much as $69,000, with complaints ranging from charges for sold vehicles to unexpected late fees—Consumer Reporter Heather Sullivan digs into the issue and shares one family's resolution.
HOUSTON - Hundreds of drivers have been sounding off on a Reddit forum about high bills from toll roads in Texas. One driver posted a bill for nearly $69,000.
Some drivers write that the bills are for cars they no longer own or for late fees they didn't know they had.
Complaints about billing issues from automatic toll payment tags have been going on for years.
Several agencies and contractors run Texas toll roads, and some have implemented new software and worked to reduce billing issues. But hundreds of drivers say the systems are still broken.
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"They’re not my dad's bills," said Nannette Bolen.
Nannette Bolen says her family keeps receiving TxTag toll bills, addressed to her 84-year-old father, who lives in a nursing home.
"He’s been in and out of hospitals and rehab and hasn’t driven. Now we're getting all these Texas Tags saying he owes for a Texas Tag that he has never, ever had an account with," said Bolen.
She showed us documentation that they sold the vehicle a year ago and transferred the vehicle registration at the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
"We found out from registration, the truck is out of my dad’s name, but he’s still getting bills," she said.
Bolen says they have called and written TxTag with no luck.
"The only thing I could do, I contacted y’all," she said.
Other drivers complain of similar issues.
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"Quite a few months after trading in the car, I got a bill from TxTag in the mail, with some tolls I had not incurred," said driver Kathryn Rogers.
Another driver posted a bill on Reddit for $69,000. He says TxTag told him that his leased vehicle's bill is lumped in with bills for other vehicles leased through the same bank.
More than 400 other drivers posted notes in the discussion, complaining of double billing or hundreds of dollars in late fees for rejected automatic toll payments they didn't know they had.
We contacted TxTag about these issues and Bolen's bills. A spokesperson says they have now resolved Bolen's case.
The Texas legislature considered several measures to fix toll billing issues this year but only passed one, which requires toll entities to notify users when automatic payments are rejected.
The TxTag spokesperson says they are now sending letters for declined credit card payments, and have made several other improvements, including more than doubling their number of customer service representatives.
But Bolen says the situation was a hassle.
"We’ve got enough stress going on with my dad with dementia and everything," she said.
TxTag offers steps users can take to limit billing issues:
- Keep the vehicle and address information up to date
- Update your address with TxDMV,
- When selling a vehicle, remove the TxTag sticker and license plate from the vehicle, remove the vehicle from the TxTag account, and complete the transfer paperwork with the DMV.
TxTag says users with billing questions should contact customer service at TxTag.org or (888) 468-9824.