Free trips over MTA bridges and tunnels remain high despite 'ghost vehicle' crackdown, data shows

The number of cars driving through MTA crossings without paying tolls remained largely unchanged in 2024 compared with the previous year despite efforts by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and a regional law enforcement task force to crack down on "ghost vehicles," according to data obtained by Newsday through a public records request.

MTA officials suggested that holding the line on unpaid tolls is a win, given what had been the rapid growth of toll evasion in prior years.

At just under 5 million, unbillable tolls accounted for about 1.5% of the 342 million total crossings at MTA bridges and tunnels last year, about the same percentage as in 2023, when there were about 340 million crossings. The number of free trips, despite ramped-up enforcement, points to a stubborn fare evasion problem for the transit system.

According to MTA data there were 4.981 million "unbillable transactions" at the MTA’s tolled bridges and tunnels in 2024, down about 6,000 trips — a tenth of a percent — from 4.987 million in 2023. The agency has estimated toll evasion costs about $50 million annually.

Some categories of unpaid tolls closely associated with "ghost vehicles," as law enforcement authorities have dubbed them, saw more significant reductions, such as ones involving obstructed license plates, which fell 3.9%; and temporary, fraudulent or unreadable plates, which dropped by 10%.

But those reductions were largely offset by increases in other categories of unbillable transactions, including those involving license plates unregistered with the DMV, up 5%; potential duplicate E-ZPass tag reads, up 20%; and "invalid transaction processing," up 40%.

MTA officials, in a statement, said invalid transactions "are related to back-end processing limitations where reconciliation of out-of-state tags is not accomplished in real time." It's the category with the fewest unbillable transactions, representing less than 0.04% of tolls owed, the MTA said.

The MTA has in recent years sought to crack down on toll evasion. In March 2024, the MTA and law enforcement agencies throughout the region formed a joint task force to combat ghost vehicles, which use hidden, obstructed or phony license plates to evade automated cameras. The task force, which has grown to include county police departments in Nassau and Suffolk, has held 91 operations so far, issued 50,723 summonses, made 1,145 arrests, and towed 4,865 vehicles, according to the MTA.

"This is a serious law enforcement operation, and we think it’s arresting a trend that was very troubling," MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said following a June 25 MTA board meeting in Manhattan.

Although statistics show those efforts did not lead to a significant dip in unpaid tolls, Cathy Sheridan, president of MTA Bridges & Tunnels, said the effectiveness of the task force is apparent "when you look at the trends over a longer period of time."

"Coming out of COVID in 2021, that’s when [toll evasion] was rising exponentially," Sheridan said following the MTA board meeting. "When you look at the trends since 2021, they’ve essentially been flat or slightly down. So the efforts of the enforcement are working."

In January 2024, Newsday reported that unbillable transactions at MTA crossings more than doubled, from an average of 285,411 per month in 2019 to 515,833 in 2021. In 2024, the MTA averaged 415,111 unbillable toll transactions per month, down slightly from 415,645 the previous year, a difference of 0.13%.

No congestion pricing numbers

Ana Champeny, vice president of research for the Citizens Budget Commission, a Manhattan-based fiscal watchdog group, said the numbers indicate that the heightened scrutiny on ghost vehicles has pushed some fraudsters to find more sophisticated ways to evade cameras. While law enforcement has been able to reduce incidents of obstructed plates and temporary plates — which are easier for police to spot — unregistered plates and invalid transactions are way up, she noted after reviewing Newsday's data.

"Those are things that are harder. You don't actually know that you don't have a valid plate number until well after the car has gone through the toll and moved on," said Champeny, who believes, despite the mixed results, the crackdown on toll beaters has been worthwhile. "I think we need to reinforce that that is not acceptable behavior and it's not something that the MTA will stand for."

Although MTA officials have celebrated flattening the curve on toll beaters, Jay Beeber, executive director of policy for the National Motorists Association, a driver advocacy group, said the figures may merely indicate "they’ve maxed out on all the people who are willing to flout the law."

Beeber has attributed the rise of ghost vehicles on government overreach, including a reliance on automated cameras to enforce traffic laws, and to generate revenue. The fact that the rate of unbillable tolls held steady, despite all the efforts to bring it down, is evidence that the strategy isn’t working and the problem of ghost vehicles is only getting worse, he said.

"It is an unintended consequence of going overboard in terms of additional fines, fees and enforcement," said Beeber, who expects toll evasion will rise this year, in part because of the advent of congestion pricing, which adds another toll for drivers commuting into Manhattan. "I think the people are fed up and they've had enough."

MTA officials have not responded to a request submitted in January for data on unbillable tolls in Manhattan’s congestion relief zone, below 60th Street.

Lieber said, regardless of what statistics show, "we’re going to keep pushing" against toll evasion.

"The goal is to make sure that the rest of the ridership feels like this is a fair system," Lieber said. "And if there are people who are evading the tolls, whether it’s by having a ghost plate, which is frequently used in crime ... or by intentionally concealing a plate or other shenanigans, we want them to know that we’re going to come after them."

MTA board member David Mack, who represents Nassau County and chairs the board’s Bridges and Tunnels Committee, has said the MTA’s occasional enforcement operations, which entail deploying police near crossings to stop ghost vehicles, don’t go far enough. He’s called for police to have a permanent presence at bridges and tunnels to serve as a deterrent for would-be toll beaters.

"It should be a steady detail. It pays for itself, and then some," Mack said in an interview Tuesday. Mack noted that, while so much attention has been paid to turnstile jumpers on subways, where a ride is $2.90, stopping toll evasion "is where the money is."

E-ZPass tolls at major crossings, including the Queens-Midtown Tunnel and Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, cost $6.94 each way. Vehicles without E-ZPass have photos of their license plate taken and bills sent via mail. The "Tolls by Mail" rate is $11.19 for major crossings. After 30 days, the MTA adds a $5 late fee, and after 90 days, a $50 violation fee.