Turnpike reviews who gets a free pass at tolls
Some state workers could lose longstanding union perk
Facing the prospect of new toll increases, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority is taking a fresh look at an old program that allows nearly 4,000 drivers to pass through toll booths without spending a dime.
Alan LeBovidge, the authoriity's executive director, said yesterday that he is taking steps to determine if the program is being abused or whether some passes need to be revoked.
The authority's board has been scrutinizing the free transponder program as members attempt to stave off a second toll increase in as many years. It is one of 37 issues the board is studying as it contemplates changes in the tolling system this summer.
Many of the free transponders go to turnpike workers who are expected to use them on the job in official vehicles. But about 800 go to current and retired turnpike workers, many of them toll collectors, who get them as a perk under longstanding union policies and can use them however they like. Though the Turnpike Authority has records of who has the passes, it does not have a separate accounting of how many toll-free trips are being taken or how much money is not collected, officials said.
LeBovidge said yesterday that he will replace transponders in 1,970 State Police cruisers that are part of the program. The new transponders will make auditing easier, because they will identify the user as a police officer. LeBovidge said he will give Massachusetts State Police Colonel Mark F. Delaney a monthly report documenting troopers' travel on the turnpike, so he can make sure officers are not using the passes on personal time.
A State Police spokesman, David Procopio, said officers are allowed to use the toll-free transponders on official business or to commute to work. He said his office has not received official word of LeBovidge's plan to track when they are being used.
"When and if we do begin receiving reports, of course we will review the information," Procopio said.
LeBovidge said he will also count the number of trips being taken by the 150 retired workers who pay $25 a year for the toll-free transponders to see if it is worth ending their participation, a step that could require union negotiations.
About 1,000 of the transponders are assigned to turnpike fleet vehicles. Those are supposed to be used only for official business, but the Turnpike Authority does not check on whether employees use them for personal trips.
"Anyone who is using these for anything other than official business, it's toll money not received," said Mary Z. Connaughton, an authority board member who raised the issue during recent board meetings. "It's not fair that some people pay tolls and others might not."
The free rides have long been a symbol of the old-style patronage perks given out to bigwigs and their friends. For years, turnpike managers have made periodic attempts at curbing their use, stripping them, for example, from turnpike managers, elected officials, and appointed officials over the past few years.
LeBovidge said he inherited the program and pointed out that it has been reduced to the point where no more than one or two nonunion employees have the transponders. Union rules might make stripping others of the privilege more difficult.
"Whether we can change that going forward will be a matter of negotiations," LeBovidge said.
But beyond the symbolism, LeBovidge said, he is not sure much money is involved and believes that efforts to end the program may not be worth it.
"I can't tell you whether this is one of our top priorities," he said. "There's a whole bunch of other stuff out there, like salary range and healthcare costs."
Toll-takers who get the free passes to use in their personal cars need them to get to work, said Robert Cullinane, secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 127, which represents toll-takers.
"It's like the guy in the MBTA gets to ride the train to and from work,' Cullinane said. "How else is he going to get there?"
Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.
