# Tolls - How do you handle them



## LadyDi (Nov 29, 2015)

I had a rider tell me that in the year or so since she has been using the service that she always hands cash to her driver for the tunnel toll here in MD. She also said that I was the first person to not accept her money, pay it out of my pocket AND tell her that Uber charges her card on the account the toll fee.

Added note - I refuse to buy an Easy Pass as this weekend was the first time I went through either toll 4 times during an entire weekend.

Added note 2 - I have seen some riders get charged double the toll fee.


How do you handle tolls and explaining it to the rider?


----------



## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

You handled it the proper way. 

An Uber Representative at my Uber Taxi Onboarding Event back in 2013 told me specifically never to accept cash from the customer for tolls. He told me not even to add it to the meter fare when I key in that at the end of the trip. He told me that I should pay the toll, send an e-Mail to Uber and that Uber would re-imburse me. 

I have done that since. When I signed on to UberX, I did the same. I did not accept cash, paid the toll, secured a receipt and sent an e-Mail to Uber. Uber always has re-imbursed me, no questions asked.

Keep doing it that way. Pay the toll, e-Mail Uber, let it re-imburse you. Do not accept cash from a customer, unless said customer offers it to you as a tip. If there are two things that Uber hates, they are cash and telephones.


----------



## LadyDi (Nov 29, 2015)

Thank you Another Uber Driver. I usually check the toll info right after that rider is dropped off to ensure that it has been processed. Also, I keep receipts and send the details in the report an issue side of the app. All tolls have been reimbursed to date.

Have you seen the double toll fees though??


----------



## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

LadyDi said:


> Have you seen the double toll fees though??


Double toll fees? Where? How? You lost me on that one.


----------



## LadyDi (Nov 29, 2015)

The toll here in Maryland is $4 at the Harbor and Ft McHenry tunnels. I have seen a $8 charge to the pax for this one way ride. I can add a pic of it if you want but it won't be tonight Another Uber Driver


----------



## nickd8775 (Jul 12, 2015)

The passenger should be charged double, in case you return empty.


----------



## Danz Haagen (Feb 11, 2015)

ez pass


----------



## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

LadyDi said:


> The toll here in Maryland is $4 at the Harbor and Ft McHenry tunnels. I have seen a $8 charge to the pax for this one way ride.


Oh, you mean that some of the facilities charge a double toll, one way only. In Maryland, you get popped northbound after you cross the Susquehanna River, but not southbound before you cross it. The last time that I used either the Harbour Tunnel Throughway or the Fort McHenry Tunnel, they charged the toll both ways. Has that changed? I can not remember, now, if the Chesapeake Bay Bridge charges one way or both, as the last time that I used it was when Delaware had that Flashy Arrow Hell at the tollbooths, when they were constructing the E-Z PASS lanes.

Are you telling me that Uber charges the passenger eight bananas when you are paying only four while hauling the passenger? That is nice for the driver, but not so nice for the passenger. In the cab business, you always have been permitted to charge for any tolls paid while the customer is in the cab, but not while you were deadheading back to your jurisdiction of licensure.

No need to post it, the mere answers to the questions will suffice. I have yet to have an Uber trip that required use of Maryland Toll Facilities, but I am curious.


----------



## Undermensch (Oct 21, 2015)

LadyDi said:


> I had a rider tell me that in the year or so since she has been using the service that she always hands cash to her driver for the tunnel toll here in MD. She also said that I was the first person to not accept her money, pay it out of my pocket AND tell her that Uber charges her card on the account the toll fee.
> 
> Added note - I refuse to buy an Easy Pass as this weekend was the first time I went through either toll 4 times during an entire weekend.
> 
> ...


You should really get an EZ pass. Your profile says you drive UberX and Uber specifically mentions that you should get a tag such as EZ Pass for paying tolls.

As a passenger, I can tell you that one of the reasons I started using Uber instead of taxis and limos to get home from NYC was because they all had EZ Pass and didn't make me wait in ridiculous cash toll lanes. If I had an UberX driver without EZ Pass that'd be an easy 1 star ride.


----------



## PANewbie (Jan 8, 2016)

I always keep a few bucks in cash in case there's an unexpected ride where tolls are involved. It's only happened a few times but I'd never ask the rider for cash. I notice at the end of the ride (and end of the week statement) the tolls are automatically added onto the rider fee and my cut.


----------



## Oscar Levant (Aug 15, 2014)

LadyDi said:


> I had a rider tell me that in the year or so since she has been using the service that she always hands cash to her driver for the tunnel toll here in MD. She also said that I was the first person to not accept her money, pay it out of my pocket AND tell her that Uber charges her card on the account the toll fee.
> 
> Added note - I refuse to buy an Easy Pass as this weekend was the first time I went through either toll 4 times during an entire weekend.
> 
> ...


I believe that if a toll is over a certain threshold ( I dont' know what it is ) Uber tacks on the toll to the fare.

But, this is in SoCal for "91express lanes" where the driver has an account, and a transponder on his window ( as I do ).

I know this because once I took someone to L.A from San Diego, and I went on the 73 ( which parallels the 405 for about 20 miles, avoiding bottlenecks along that stretch of the journey, and I was expecting to eat the toll, which was about 7 bucks, but I noted that on the driver app, it displayed a window stating the toll was added to the fare. Actually, because the fare was about $400 ( I'm UberBlack ) I didn't care if I had to pay it, but as it turned out, I didn't have to. However, in the 91 express lane in San Diego, where the toll was a lot less than 7 bucks, I took a rider on the HOV lane ( which was also a 91 express "fasttrack" controlled lane ) and it did not tack on the toll. That's why I suspect there is a threshold.

But, for cash tolls, I suppose it's up to you to collect it from riders. For account (transponder debited ) tolls, I don't know how it works in your county or state.


----------



## LadyDi (Nov 29, 2015)

Another Uber Driver said:


> Oh, you mean that some of the facilities charge a double toll, one way only. In Maryland, you get popped northbound after you cross the Susquehanna River, but not southbound before you cross it. The last time that I used either the Harbour Tunnel Throughway or the Fort McHenry Tunnel, they charged the toll both ways. Has that changed? I can not remember, now, if the Chesapeake Bay Bridge charges one way or both, as the last time that I used it was when Delaware had that Flashy Arrow Hell at the tollbooths, when they were constructing the E-Z PASS lanes.
> 
> Are you telling me that Uber charges the passenger eight bananas when you are paying only four while hauling the passenger? That is nice for the driver, but not so nice for the passenger. In the cab business, you always have been permitted to charge for any tolls paid while the customer is in the cab, but not while you were deadheading back to your jurisdiction of licensure.
> 
> No need to post it, the mere answers to the questions will suffice. I have yet to have an Uber trip that required use of Maryland Toll Facilities, but I am curious.


It's a toll booth on south and northbound still, $4 each way but ONE rider was charged $8 and another ONE rider was charged $8 for one way to their destination thru both the tunnel. I think I had one on each tunnel. Perryville is one sided still and that's the northbound side if I am correct.


----------



## LadyDi (Nov 29, 2015)

Undermensch said:


> You should really get an EZ pass. Your profile says you drive UberX and Uber specifically mentions that you should get a tag such as EZ Pass for paying tolls.
> 
> As a passenger, I can tell you that one of the reasons I started using Uber instead of taxis and limos to get home from NYC was because they all had EZ Pass and didn't make me wait in ridiculous cash toll lanes. If I had an UberX driver without EZ Pass that'd be an easy 1 star ride.


Good info to know. Will consider it. Thank you


----------



## LadyDi (Nov 29, 2015)

Danz Haagen said:


> ez pass


I don't go through it but once or twice a weekend, if that. I had 4 trips in one weekend which surprised me


----------



## Another Uber Driver (May 27, 2015)

LadyDi said:


> Perryville is one sided still and that's the northbound side if I am correct.


If Perryville is at the Susquehanna crossing, that would be correct. You pay northbound only.


----------



## LadyDi (Nov 29, 2015)

Oscar Levant said:


> I believe that if a toll is over a certain threshold ( I dont' know what it is ) Uber tacks on the toll to the fare.
> 
> That's why I suspect there is a threshold.
> 
> But, for cash tolls, I suppose it's up to you to collect it from riders. For account (transponder debited ) tolls, I don't know how it works in your county or state.


I'm never going to take toll fee(s) from a rider on Uber X UNLESS... we go through more tolls than my cash allotment allows. This case would be going from state to state. I don't know about thresholds but I am watching the toll charges closely, very. Some process and some do not.


----------



## dirtylee (Sep 2, 2015)

Send multiple emails & hope I get double crdited.


----------



## Danz Haagen (Feb 11, 2015)

LadyDi said:


> I don't go through it but once or twice a weekend, if that. I had 4 trips in one weekend which surprised me


get the ezpass, there is no fee. just activation fee i think. but it is worth to have. if you use ezpass, tolls are actually cheaper. especially if you are crossing bridges in NYC. $11 with ezpass, and $14 with cash.


----------



## LadyDi (Nov 29, 2015)

Danz Haagen said:


> get the ezpass, there is no fee. just activation fee i think. but it is worth to have. if you use ezpass, tolls are actually cheaper. especially if you are crossing bridges in NYC. $11 with ezpass, and $14 with cash.


Not going through tolls enough for an ez-pass. Thank anyhow.


----------



## Disgusted Driver (Jan 9, 2015)

Here in NC we have a single toll road near us. The few times I've taken a pax on it I get reimbursed automatically by both Lyft and Uber at the easy pass rate for the one way toll. If I was paying cash I would lose money on the toll.


----------



## UberWomanMaine (May 10, 2016)

Maine driver here! I remember upon starting I had no instruction whatsoever. Got an email saying I was ready to drive and that was it. I googled to find the 15 minute "training video". And of course my very first night I had to go thru a toll booth. Rider asked me if he had to pay it. Told him not to worry about it. I paid it and later checked the fare. I read that it would be added automatically but No toll had been added. The toll has not been added to any trips I've had to take the highway. I just click on the fare and say the toll wasn't added and they add it in.


----------

