Shocking: Toll Booth Operators are Rude

Flickr user urzzz

A recent review of complaints shows that the city's toll booth clerks may not be the worlds nicest people. The Port Authority recorded just 24 complaints and the MTA 153 in the past 19 months, and most of them revealed much more serious problems than just miscounted change. At least no one has pulled a gun... yet.

A few choice complaints include one clerk who yelled at a driver for counting her change, a cop reducing a woman to tears for using a hands-free cell device, and a clerk who told a driver she looked sad "Because of asses like you. I don't like you asses." One was so cranky, he wouldn't even let a driver partake in a random act of kindness. A man on the Henry Hudson Parkway wanted to pay the toll for the vehicle behind him, but the clerk refused to tell the beneficiary who paid his toll. The driver wrote, "When I told him he was making it awfully hard to try to do a random good deed, he threatened to give me a ticket."

A few of the "Fu*k Yous" and "punk ass jerks" were rewarded with suspensions or terminations, but most of the offending clerks are still out there. Very few motorists even take the effort to file an official complaint, meaning there may be hundreds of workers out there who have yet to be not reprimanded for their actions.

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By Jaya Saxena in News on June 1, 2010 1:47 PM

Comments [rss]

anonymouse

You call that rude? Check out the Smoking Gun's archive of complaints filed against New Jersey Turnpike toll collectors.

A random sample:

Patron asked t/c "excuse me how much is it?" T/c responded "Can't you wait a fucking minute you fucking bitch!" Patron asked for Supervisor to report her. T/c said "Oh shut the fuck up it's not the first time & it won't be the last."

Toll Collectors Gone Wild

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0222101tolls1.html

p.s. I blame it on the fumes

doubletap

In a city where tempers are strained as the norm and we pay top dollar for get from a to b, there should be no tolerance for this nonsense. Only 24 complaints means most don't report abuse.

In any case, regardless of WHY they are irate, they should earn their pay professionally. Otherwise, they deserve to be replaced by an innocuous machine.

Perhaps Big Brother (which should very well be us) needs to be watching THEM.

Politburo

The driver wrote, "When I told him he was making it awfully hard to try to do a random good deed, he threatened to give me a ticket."
And there's the rub. People doing this pay-it-forward shit aren't doing a good deed. They're telling the toll collector to do a good deed on their behalf. Good for the collector.

really!?!?

how do you see that?

forcing the toll-taker to do a good deed would mean forcing them to pay the toll. all this guy was asking the toll-taker to do was instead of receiving payment and making change for the next car, he should just say the guy ahead of you took care of it. not a big deal, i would think it is easier.

in my experience, toll-takers are among the most miserable people. you don't want to smile, fine, i agree that your job sucks for all the many reasons stated above. But, as kitty graves pointed out you knew what you were getting into and don't have an excuse for being a dick.

JenChungsBaby

It must suck going to work every day knowing that you can and will be replaced by an EZ Pass.

EastRiver

It must suck going to work every day knowing that you can and will be replaced by an EZ Pass.

As long as there are people afraid of Big Brother there will always be cash lanes.

ohhleary

The Port Authority is already looking at going booth-less on their facilities, opting for a system in which vehicles without EZ-Pass would be billed by mail via license plate. It reduces congestion, cuts overall operating costs, and forces these bozos out of a job. It's worked in many places, and is currently in use in Texas, Colorado, and Ontario, and is soon to be implemented in Washington State.

Video surveillance is running 24/7 at all the major crossings in the Tri-State. If you're afraid of big brother, I guess you just shouldn't cross a bridge anymore.

schadenfreudian mensch

I thought there were cameras that snap your license on EZ Pass lanes and Cash lanes.

JenChungsBaby

Seriously, don't think that you have any kind of privacy in the cash lanes. You can't go through a bridge or tunnel without having your pic taken. If they're really looking then it will take the cops only slightly longer to find you in the cash lane.

EastRiver

If they're really looking then it will take the cops only slightly longer to find you in the cash lane.

How often are they looking? My guess is that the pictures are only looked at after the fact. Much faster to check the E-Z Pass records. Unless you're going to tell me the state uses character recognition software on the photos all the time.

JenChungsBaby

Yes, the pictures are only looked at after your cell phone records give you away.

ProcedureTurn

Collecting tolls all day from a toxic fume environment is awful. Maybe its their pooor health which makes them angry. Personally, I could never do such a job. Too much pollution.

Kitty Graves

They accepted the job under those conditions and were fully aware of their work requirements going into the job. Their crappy environment should not be a valid excuse for projecting their negativity our way.