Law to refund emergency vehicles for E-ZPass violations

Emergency vehicles that mistakenly get hit with tolls while traveling along the New York State Thruway are getting paid back.

A state law that went into effect in June establishes a refund system for ambulances or fire trucks that have been tagged with E-ZPass violations.

The move was welcomed by leaders of emergency service outfits like John Kilduff, president of Tuxedo Volunteer Ambulance, in Tuxedo. Kilduff says his all-volunteer department incurred nearly $1,000 in E-ZPass tolls last year -- a significant hit for a group that relies largely on donations to fund its $100,000 budget.

"They were hitting us with violation notices," Kilduff said. "It was a real head-scratcher."

Tuxedo covers about 15 miles of the Thruway and often has to cross the Tappan Zee Bridge for trips to Westchester Medical Center, Kilduff said.

He and others enlisted the help of the New York State Ambulance Association to set up a refund system.

Thruway spokesman R.W. Groneman said emergency vehicles are not required to pay tolls. Typically, a toll collector will mark down the plate number of an ambulance or the name on the side of a fire truck when they speed through with lights and sirens blaring.

But some go through E-ZPass and their plates are not recognized as belonging to emergency vehicles.

"The Thruway Authority does not charge emergency vehicles," Groneman said. "In a rare instance where a toll is inadvertently charged, this law establishes a reimbursement procedure."

Emergency vehicle operators must fill out a form testifying that they were on an emergency call at the time of the toll.