"When I heard the amount… there was no words," the professional driver told CBS
Credit: Stacy Walsh Rosenstock / Alamy Stock Photo
NEED TO KNOW
- A longtime professional driver in NYC learned he owed the MTA over $14,000 after he says thought he was paying everything on time
- Luis Corporan tells CBS he hasn’t been able to work since Feb. 9 when the DMV suspended his registration for “failing to pay tolls, fees or other charges”
- Though he made a deal with the MTA to reduce the fee, he said he was still unable to pay $8,000 in one day
A long-time New York City driver thought he was paying his E-ZPass bills on time. Then one day, he received a bill from the MTA for over $14,000.
According to CBS News, Luis Corporan has been a licensed driver with the Taxi and Limousine Commission for more than 10 years. However, on Feb. 9, he had to find a different way to make a living when the Department of Motor Vehicles suspended his registration for "failing to pay tolls, fees or other charges."
Corporan, a father of four, told the outlet that he was always "on top of" paying his bills, so he was surprised when the DMV's suspension unit emailed him a breakdown of the charges. The charges dated back years, stating he owes $2,134.71 in unpaid tolls and $11,900 in fees, bringing the grand sum to $14,034.71.
"When I heard the amount … there was no words," Corporan told CBS. "I just hung up the phone and started just thinking, where I get the money from?"
Credit: Najlah Feanny/Corbis via Getty
Though Corporan said he did receive some notices, he said he thought they were for tolls he had already paid through the app.
He also claims his E-Z Pass transponder appears to have worked at some tolls but not others. "Why wasn't it reading it here, but then it actually started reading here?" he said referring to various toll plazas.
CBS New York reached out to the MTA about the perceived discrepancies on Corcoran's bill, but they report the agency's only reply was, "People who pay their tolls don't pay fines."
It's not uncommon for drivers with large outstanding sums due, including fees, to make a deal with the MTA to reduce the chargers. Corporan said he tried this, but the agency only offered to settle for roughly $8,000 if he paid by the end of the day, which he couldn't do.
The MTA also has a toll payer advocate to help people in similar situations, but while Corporan said he contacted the advocate on Feb. 17, he claims he has not heard back.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Similar situations have drawn the attention of New York law makers. "To me, that is just sheer not caring about people," State Assemblymember Mike Reilly told CBS.
Though the MTA notes its fees are legal, Reilly says he is trying to introduce a bill that will change that. The bill would caps fees at the company, similar to rules already in place elsewhere.
"Even though something is legal doesn't necessarily mean it's the right thing to do," Reilly said. "That just means that we haven't passed my legislation that caps what they can charge."
PEOPLE has reached out the MTA for comment.
Read the full article here
