Thurso taxi operator Paul Reid left with £160 fine over unpaid toll at the Tyne Tunnels
A Thurso-based taxi driver is worried about the possibility of court action after failing to pay a £1.90 toll at the Tyne Tunnels.
Paul Reid, who runs Highland Cabs, said he was unaware the toll had been changed to a cashless payment system and is refusing to pay a demand for £160 after his case was passed to debt collectors.
He set-off on the long journey, over 400 miles, after receiving an early morning taxi booking to take someone from Scrabster to Middlesburgh back in November 2021 – the month the new system was put in force by the tunnel operators TT2.
"Around 5pm we arrived at the Tyne Tunnels and that was very busy with road works going on blocking the toll booths," explained Paul. "One lane stayed open and all the cars were going through – with so much traffic behind me I had to keep going."
He thought he would find a toll booth open on the other side of the tunnels but there were none. "I tried to pay the toll, but could not," said Paul.
Around a month later he he received an Unpaid Toll Charge Notice (UTCN) from the operators for £60. They had a photo of his Vauxhall, along with his number plate, at the south tunnel entrance.
When he contacted the company he was informed that payments were no longer made at the booths but were made online instead. They also stated that signage was in place informing drivers about the new system.
He has pointed out to the operating company that because he lives in Caithness he was unaware of the new system which had been widely publicised in the Tyne area. Paul also stated that he did not see any signs in place. He said: "I told them, I live nine hours away from you – how do you expect me to know this?"
He subsequently received another letter from the TT2 saying he still needed to pay the fine and could not appeal. A final notice with a overdue unpaid toll charge amount of £101.90 stated that they had no alternative but to place the matter in the hands of a third party debt collection agency.
That was followed by a demand for £160 from CDER Group, which he has refused to pay. They have stated that it was his fault and he should have checked the toll maps before his journey.
"I am a taxi driver, I am not able to do that," said Paul. "It turns out that tens of thousands of people are being caught out by it. I just want to make everyone aware of what is going on and share my experience. I am a bit worried it will go to court."
Those using the tunnels have a deadline for payments – midnight the following day. The taxi driver did not return to Thurso until three days later as he decided to stop and visit family in Glasgow first.
At the beginning of this year more than 140,000 financial penalties were reported to have been issued since the changes were implemented, and a petition was launched by drivers not happy with the new payment system.
Just a month after the cashless system went live a reported number of 66,181 fines were handed out to non-compliant tunnel users.
The standard fine issued in a UTCN is a charge of £60 plus the initial toll charge, which is halved to £30 if paid within 14 days of receipt. However, for motorists refusing to pay within 28 days, the fine goes up to £100.
Chief executive at TT2, Philip Smith, said: "Mr Reid has correctly been issued with a UTCN because he travelled through the Tyne Tunnels on November 13, 2021 without paying his toll.
"At the tunnels, we have very large, temporary yellow signs (as mandated by law during roadworks) in place to inform drivers it is a toll road and how they can pay.
"We have ensured that every customer on every route sees at least two ‘pay by midnight’ signs and two ‘payment option details’ signs as a minimum. On some routes, for example A19 northbound, there are actually eight signs.
"Our team carry out daily checks on the signage and we have confirmed to Mr Reid that signage was in place on November 13, and we confirmed they were checked regularly to ensure good visibility and clarity.
"For every customer who doesn’t pay their toll, there are costs for TT2 to recover that money. The charge is in place to cover the costs of the toll recovery, and to ensure the vast majority of customers – who do pay their toll – are not disadvantaged.
"All requests for information and queries from Mr Reid to TT2 have been replied to."
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