Motorists have hit out at a new toll charge on the Humber Bridge, which moved to a cashless system earlier this year, causing havoc for drivers receiving fines, despite paying.
Digital payment systems replaced traditional toll booths at the end of January in hopes of modernising the system, although several drivers have received a £27 fine in unpaid toll notices.
Among them was a driver from Barton-upon-Humber, who said he had enough credit on his account when he crossed the bridge but was still told he owed money.
He received a penalty notice on March 6 demanding payment for an unpaid crossing, noting that he immediately realised that something was wrong.
After submitting an appeal online, he was told the charge would be cancelled, although he told the BBC the explanation left him frustrated.
He shared: “They said, on this occasion, they’ll let me off as a gesture of goodwill. It sounded like they were saying it was my fault, but they’d let it go. I know I had money in the account.
“Hundreds of people were saying they’d had the same problem. It clearly isn’t just me. This needs dealing with, and it needs dealing with now.”
Another driver from Broughton said she also received a £27 penalty letter around a month after using the Bridge, even though she had paid.
Drivers have expressed fury over being fined £27 despite paying the toll on the bridge
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PA“I’ve got the proof that the payment came out,” she said. “I just thought, well, I know I’ve paid, so how can they say I haven’t?”
She has submitted an appeal and is now waiting to hear the outcome, adding that major improvements needed to be introduced to reduce stress for motorists.
The Humber Bridge Board ended more than 40 years of toll booth operations on January 30, switching to a cashless system where drivers pay online or through other methods.
Under the new arrangement, motorists must pay their toll either before crossing or by midnight the following day, which can be done via an app, the Bridge’s website, over the phone, or at PayPoint stores.
The route is situated in the East Riding of Yorkshire and charges drivers £2 per crossing
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Car drivers without an account now pay £2 per crossing, while those who set up an account receive a 25 per cent discount.
If a driver fails to pay on time, they are issued a £25 administration fee on top of the toll, bringing the total charge to £27.
Officials stated the system has been designed to make journeys quicker by allowing traffic to flow freely without stopping at booths.
However, a spokesperson for the Humber Bridge Board admitted that the system experienced “some teething problems” after its launch.
The bridge opened to traffic on June 24 1981, having accepted cash until January this year
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The spokesperson detailed how there had been an estimated 1.2 million crossings since the new system went live in early February.
They shared: “Out of these, 94 per cent were paid for within the timescale required to avoid an unpaid toll notification.
“However, we accept that as a brand-new system, Humber Bridge Toll did suffer some teething problems shortly after launch, and therefore, some people may feel they have received the admin fee unfairly. We would encourage them to appeal the decision so we can investigate.”
