Toll Mistakes That Become Overcharge Summonses

In short: Any toll you charge above the actual amount your E-ZPass was charged is an overcharge. The usual mistakes are charging the Tolls by Mail price, adding the double toll in the wrong direction on the Verrazzano or Rockaway bridges, charging a return toll that isn't allowed, and adding a toll the trip never paid. A first overcharge costs $350–$500. An overcharge of $10 or more leads to license revocation. This page lists the toll-specific mistakes; general overcharging rules are in TLC overcharging rules.

Why toll mistakes count as overcharges

Each passenger chapter has the same line:

• Taxis, §58-26(f)(3): "A Driver who charges a passenger more than the actual amount of the EZ-Pass toll is guilty of an overcharge as prohibited by §80-17."
• For-hire vehicles, §59A-23(b)(3): the same, "subject to the penalties provided in section 80-02(e)".
• Green cabs, §82-26(g)(3): the same.

The toll rules add that "the Commission can order restitution to a passenger or the EZ-Pass tag holder" (§58-26(f)(5)). The overcharge rule itself is §80-17(a)(1) for taxi and green cab hail trips, and §80-17(a)(2) for pre-arranged FHV and green cab trips.

Eight toll mistakes

MTA car rates effective January 4, 2026; Port Authority car rates as listed on its tolls page on 2026-10-12.

A few notes on the cases drivers get wrong most often:

Direction. The 2023 rule doesn't use "to" and "return" any more. It lists the crossings and directions: into Staten Island over the Verrazzano, and into the Rockaways over Cross Bay or Marine Parkway, the passenger pays two times; out of them, nothing. Everywhere else in the city, each toll once. The table and data are in the return-toll rule. Bridge pages: Verrazzano-Narrows, Cross Bay.

Trips that leave the city. Here the passenger does pay "all necessary tolls to and from the destination" (§58-26(f)(2)). That's correct, not an overcharge, as long as each toll is the E-ZPass amount and was really needed for the route.

Mail and Mid-Tier rates. If your tag wasn't read, you may be billed more than the E-ZPass rate, but the passenger still owes only the E-ZPass amount. See can I charge the full toll rate?.

Route. If you pick a tolled crossing when the shortest reasonable route didn't need one, the passenger can complain about the route (§80-16(a)) as well as the toll. If the passenger asked for the tolled route, they pay its toll. See toll bridge or free route with a rider.

For-hire and app drivers

On Uber and Lyft trips the app prices the trip, including tolls, so the driver rarely types in a toll. The risk is different: you must not charge the rider anything extra in the car. For black car, livery and other pre-arranged trips, §80-17(a)(2) says a driver must not charge more than "the rate, fare quote, or fare estimate provided to the Passenger by the Base", unless the passenger changes the destination. The base side has a matching rule for black car and luxury limousine bases and for Uber and Lyft: the base may not charge more than 120% of its estimate unless the passenger changes the trip, including when the passenger "requests a route change requiring the payment of a toll" (§59B-23(g)(4)). So a toll the rider asks for can be added to the price by the base; a toll you add on your own, in cash, cannot. For app toll repayment, see tolls on Uber and Lyft trips.

The $10 line

Small toll errors can add up past $10 on one trip. Examples at current car rates:

• Double Verrazzano toll on a trip leaving Staten Island: $14.92 the passenger didn't owe.
• One Port Authority crossing (off-peak) plus one MTA crossing charged at mail rates: $8.51 + $4.57 = $13.08 over.

Under §80-02(e)(1), if a driver "charges or attempts to charge $10 or more above the approved rate of fare", the Tribunal or the Chairperson "will revoke the Driver License", and a driver whose license is revoked for this can't get any TLC license for one year.

Other toll rules that bring summonses

These are not overcharges, but they come up on the same trips:

• Not explaining out-of-city charges. Before a Westchester or Nassau trip you must explain how the fare is worked out, "including the payment of tolls both to and from the destination", and tell the rider when you cross the city line (§80-17(f)(2)(ii)–(iii), $25). For Newark, explain "the payment of tolls out of and back into the City" (§80-17(f)(3)(ii), $25). See rule 80-17(f)(2) and tolls on trips outside NYC.
• Not forwarding toll money. Tolls the passenger paid belong to the tag holder; forward them by the end of the shift or lease. Fine $50 plus restitution, appearance required (§80-15(d)(4)).
• Receipt. A taxi or green cab receipt must list tolls (§80-16(d)(3)). See how tolls appear on the taxi meter and receipt.

How often overcharge summonses are filed

Overcharge summonses under 80-17(a)(1) rose from 269 in 2022 to 732 in 2024 and 684 in 2025. OATH data doesn't record outcomes or fines for TLC cases, so we can't say how many were upheld. For context on passenger-related summonses, see passenger service summons statistics.

How to avoid toll mistakes

If you got a summons: points to discuss with a lawyer

This is general information, not legal advice. Every case depends on its facts. Things a lawyer may ask you about:

• What your tag was actually charged. Your E-ZPass statement for that date shows the crossing, time and amount.
• The route and direction. Trip records, GPS or app history showing which crossing you used and which way.
• Whether the passenger asked for the route. Under §80-16(a) the passenger can choose the route.
• Whether the trip left the city. Out-of-city trips allow tolls to and from.
• Whether the charge was attempted or completed and whether you corrected it. The rule covers attempts too.
• Your record. Prior overcharges in the last 24 or 36 months change the penalty.

How passenger complaints turn into summonses: passenger complaint summons. Crossing pages: RFK Bridge, Bronx-Whitestone. All toll pages: Tolls.