George Washington Bridge, Holland and Lincoln tunnels go cashless

To prevent the handling of cash and reduce the spread of germs, tolls at the Port Authority's Hudson River crossings will be cashless for the time being starting Sunday night.

Tolls collected at the Lincoln Tunnel, Holland Tunnel and George Washington Bridge will be done only via E-ZPass, starting at 9 p.m. on Sunday. Those without E-ZPass who pass through these crossings will have their license plates scanned and a toll bill will be sent to the address registered with the car's license plate.

This decision was made to be consistent with the emergency orders issued in New York and New Jersey, and the cashless tolling will be in effect as long as those executive orders are in place, the bi-state agency said in a statement.

"Motorists billed by mail will pay the amount of the standard cash toll; no additional fees will charged," the statement said. The carpool discount program will also be temporarily suspended during this time.

These three crossings are the last of the Port Authority bridges and tunnels that have not yet converted to full cashless systems, but they are expected to fully switch over by the end of this year.

The Port Authority's 150 toll collectors will be paid during this time, a spokesman said.

When asked if the contractor for cashless tolling could handle the extra volume of possible tolls by mail, Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman wrote in an email: "Conduent is prepared with adequate staffing to handle the added toll bills by mail without meeting to add incremental staff. With transaction volumes being so low, and call volumes low at the call center, they are in good shape to roll out this program with existing staffing levels in effect."

Conduent is the contractor the Port Authority uses to operate its cashless tolling system, a $240 million contract that was expanded in July 2019 to include the conversion of the Hudson River tunnels and bridge. Conduent has come under fire in recent years for systemic issues regarding tolls by mail never received, excessive charges and fees, and other customer service issues.

Colleen Wilson covers the Port Authority and NJ Transit for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering the region’s transportation systems and how they affect your commute, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: cwilson2@lohud.com Twitter: @colleenallreds