Don’t Mess With EZPass

A man in Reston VA was commuting to Washington DC nightly and running the toll plaza booths on the Dulles Toll Road. He racked up over 440 dollars in fines and then ignored the warning letters he received from Virginia’s EZPass offices. With late fees and interest, the outstanding debt ballooned to 200,000 dollars. Now he is on a payment plan that he will pay off in his 80’s.

From WTOP here:

A Virginia man racked up a more than $200,000 bill after he neglected to pay for commuting on the Dulles Tolls Road more than three years ago.

Jason Bourcier told NBC Washington that more than about 3 1/2 years ago, he frequently rode the Dulles Toll Road from Reston, Va. to Washington without paying. Under incorrect guidance from a friend, he was under the impression that he didn’t have to pay to use the toll road after 11:30 p.m. when the booths were unmanned.

Bourcier’s initial fine came in at $440, but this week, the Virginia Department of Transportation took the 33-year-old to court after the bill swelled to more than $200,000 — a figure that includes late fees and interest, according to NBC Washington.

Bourcier and VDOT reached a settlement: He owes $40,000 plus another $55,000 in interest, NBC Washington reports. He will pay back $150 a month — which means Bourcier will be in his 80s by the time the debt is paid.

The Dulles Toll Road tolls are getting to be prohibitively expensive. I count myself lucky that I rarely have to use the tolls other than my visits to the Loudoun Wine Trail.