To our valued customers:
The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) understands the ongoing challenges faced by all Marylanders from COVID-19 and has worked to protect the health and safety of the public and our team, while limiting the pandemic’s economic impact on our customers. Between March and October 2020, to help provide some financial relief, the MDTA paused mailing Notices of Toll Due (NOTD) for drivers who used our toll facilities without E-ZPass.
To prepare customers and help them avoid civil penalties, we sent courtesy letters in September 2020 informing non-E-ZPass customers they could proactively make payments for tolls listed in the tolling system for trips made between March and June 2020. The MDTA followed those courtesy letters with additional digital/social media communications.
However, as NOTD mailings have resumed, we’re now experiencing unprecedented volumes of customer-service requests. The ongoing United States Postal Service (USPS) delays are hampering both MDTA efforts for timely delivery of tolling notices and customer efforts to pay notices on time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the customer service call center has experienced high call volumes and wait times, and availability has varied. However, as MDTA transitions to the next generation tolling system with a new call center this spring, we are confident that the new call center will be better positioned to manage these unprecedented high call volumes.
Today, we ask for your patience and understanding. We know you are trying to reach us, and to say that call volumes are extremely high is an understatement. Rest assured that contested mail delivery delays and the time it takes for our team to research your request will NOT be held against you. The MDTA is NOT currently referring unpaid tolling accounts to the Central Collections Unit or to the MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration for registration flagging or suspension.
To help expand ways for our customers to reach us, the MDTA is:
- Temporarily expanding hours at all E-ZPass Maryland Customer Service Centers on Thursdays (8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.) and Saturdays (8 a.m. to 12 noon).
- In the process of expanding the number of MDTA employees available to support customer service operations.
- In the process of upgrading MDTA phone technology as part of our next-generation tolling system transition.
If you have already sent/made payment for a recently received NOTD, thank you! Please know that:
- We use the date postmarked on your envelope to determine if your toll payment is late, not the date we receive the mailing.
- Check cashing and payment posting is greatly slowed due to the delay in the Postal Service and the unprecedented volume. There is no need to reissue your check if it remains uncashed.
- If you received a civil penalty and already made on time payment for the original toll amount, the civil penalty will be waived when your payment is processed/posted.
If you have not yet paid the NOTD:
- We encourage you to pay online at ezpassmd.com 24/7. This will ensure your payment is received promptly. You will also be able to see if additional transactions have posted to the system and are available for payment.
- Sign up today for an E-ZPass Maryland account and keep your account replenished for tolls used – helping you to avoid the paperwork of the NOTD process altogether.
- You can drop off check or money order payments 24/7 in designated drop boxes outside any E-ZPass Maryland Customer Service Center at an MDTA facility here (drop boxes are not located at MDOT MVA or Hatem facilities).
- You can speak to a representative in-person at one of our Customer Service Centers. Center locations and temporary expanded hours can be found here. (NOTE: The service centers at MDOT MVA branches require an appointment by calling 410-537-8400.)
If you’re an E-ZPass customer who travels the Intercounty Connector (ICC):
- Since July 2020, the MDTA had temporarily paused posting E-ZPass transactions for the ICC to customer accounts. This ensured that ICC toll trips were being constructed accurately prior to the launch of MDTA’s next generation tolling system in the next few months.
- Starting this week, we are now able to resume posting these transactions to E-ZPass accounts.
- Please be assured that we are metering the postings to control the volume of transactions hitting an account at one time. However, appropriate replenishment of your E-ZPass account is advised to maintain a positive balance, as backlogged transactions will continue to post in upcoming weeks. If a customer does not maintain a positive balance on accounts and travels through a Maryland facility, a Video Toll transaction will result.
- Always properly mount your E-ZPass transponder to receive the lowest toll rate for your account.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate through these unique challenges. We will continue to provide updates as we work to fully restore the efficient and personalized service that our customers deserve.
