Yahoo Finance Drivers unleash on 'ridiculous' toll charges and claim to never pay them: ‘$47K and counting’
But they could face serious repercussions if they don't pay up.
Drivers who use toll roads in Australia are opening up on the charges they are hit with and some are even claiming they never pay up.
Some motorists will do everything in their power to avoid tunnels, bridges and motorways that come with a toll, but sometimes they are just inescapable. Others will come up with sneaky tactics that they say prevent them from being tracked as well.
Western Sydney man Raz said he was forking out hundreds of dollars per month to drive “here, there and wherever” only on the weekends and said it “adds up”. But he reckons you can just not pay the “ridiculous” fee and get away with it.
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'Scare Tactic'
“I hear of a lot of people saying I don't even pay tolls … and nothing has happened,” he said in a TikTok video. “No loss of licence, nothing like that. So, whenever I stop paying tolls, I always get them letters [saying] ‘You're gonna lose your licence’. But I've always just assumed that was more of a scare tactic.”
He certainly isn’t alone in his belief, with loads of people in the comments section saying they have racked up eye-watering sums of money in toll fees.
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Two people said they had bills worth $47,000 each “and counting”.
One wrote: “I have not paid a single toll for over 10 years now. They just threaten me with legal action, which probably won’t ever happen.”
A different driver added: “I haven’t paid tolls in over 10 years. Still have my licence, still renew my rego, credit rating the same. Don’t let them scare you.”
Debt collectors could come and make you pay
However, the New South Wales government website states “your licence or registration may be cancelled” if you don’t pay the toll fee and overdue penalty.
You can also be hit with administration fees of up to $20, which is far more than what it would be if you just paid the toll fee.
Motorway operators can also refer your outstanding fines to a debt collection agency, where they can pursue legal action, which you could also be required to pay for.
According to the Australian Automobile Association, motorists in the middle to outer suburbs of Sydney pay an average of $81 a week on tolls, which are “the highest toll costs in the nation”.
Motorway operators can also refer your outstanding fines to a debt collection agency, where they can pursue legal action, which you ould also be required to pay for. The money you might owe could be substantially higher than the original cost it was to go through the tunnel, bridge or motorway.the M7, and the M8.
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