TxDOT has no real explanation for how some toll bills are going to wrong addresses

UP.((MUSIC))+JAMES BASS,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TEXAS
TRANSPORTATION, CUSTOMER HAD
NOT INFORMED US OF AN
CHANGE..."TXDOT -- STILL
BLAMING CUSTOMERS FOR MANY OF
THOSE MASSIVE TXTAG LATE FEES
WE'VE BEEN INVESTIGATING FOR
MONTHS.WE TOOK YOUR BILLS
STRAIGHT TO THE TOP OF TXDOT
FOR ANSWERS.THEY TOLD US, A
BULK OF THE PROBLEMS STEMMED
FROM CUSTOMERS FAILING TO
UPDATE THEIR ADDRESS.BUT, AS
KXAN INVESTIGATOR BRITTANY
GLAS UNCOVERED, TXTAG HAS A
WAY TO MAKE SURE ADDRESSES ARE
ACCURATE -- IT'S JUST NOT
ALWAYS DOING IT.AND IT MIGHT
BE COSTING YOU.ANDREW WHEELER,
RECEIVED TXTAG CUSTOMERS'
BILLS AT HIS HOME: "...BECAUSE
I DON'T DRIVE ON THE TOLL
ROADS, I AUTOMATICALLY KNEW
THIS IS NOT FOR ME..."
BRITTANY GLAS: ANDREW WHEELER
IS LARGELY CONFINED TO A
WHEELCHAIR. ANDREW WHEELER,
RECEIVED TXTAG CUSTOMERS'
BILLS AT HIS HOME: "I HAVEN'T
OWNED A CAR IN PROBABLY A GOOD
THIRTY YEARS." HE SAYS -- IT
DOESN'T MAKE SENSE HE'S BEEN
RECEIVING TXTAG BILLS OVER THE
PAST YEAR FOR MULTIPLE DRIVERS
HE DOESN'T KNOW... AT HIS OWN
HOME ADDRESS, WHERE HE'S LIVED
FOR NEARLY TWO DECADES. ANDREW
WHEELER: "THESE POOR GUYS.
THEY HAVE, I'M SURE, NOT A
CLUE THAT THERE'S SOME
OUTSTANDING BILL THAT THEY
HAVEN'T RECEIVED." ONE OF
THOSE BILLS... WAS MEANT FOR
THIS MAN, NATHAN FRIAR --
NATHAN FRIAR, FORMER VEHICLE
OWNER: "I DON'T EVEN
UNDERSTAND HOW THAT WORKS,
LIKE HOW IS HE TIED TO ME AT
ALL? THAT'S A LITTLE ALARMING."
ESPECIALLY SINCE FRIAR DOESN'T
EVEN OWN THE VEHICLE LISTED ON
THE BILL ANYMORE. HE SOLD IT
EARLY LAST YEAR, THEN THE NEW
OWNER SOLD IT AGAIN... ALL
VERIFIED THROUGH THE STATE'S
DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES.
BUT, THE BILL STILL WENT TO
THE WRONG ADDRESS. NATHAN
FRIAR, FORMER VEHICLE OWNER,
TXTAG BILLS IN HIS NAME WENT
TO SOUTH AUSTIN ADDRESS:
"...THEY'RE STILL RACKING UP
BILLS IN MY NAME IN NORTH
AUSTIN - WHICH, OBVIOUSLY, I'M
NOT DRIVING ON THAT HIGHWAY."
TX-DOT TELLS US - DRIVERS ARE
SUPPOSED TO UPDATE THEIR
ADDRESSES IF THEIR TX-TAG
BILLS ARE BEING SENT SOMEWHERE
THEY DON'T LIVE. BRITTANY
GLAS, REPORTING: "WHY WAS THE
COLLECTIONS AGENCY ABLE TO
IDENTIFY THEIR NEW ADDRESS,
BUT TXDOT WAS NOT?" JAMES
BASS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION, TXDOT: "THE
INITIAL INVOICES WENT TO THE
WRONG ADDRESS BECAUSE WE DID
NOT HAVE THAT INFORMATION
AVAILABLE TO US."JAMES BASS,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TXDOT:
"THE CUSTOMER HAD NOT INFORMED
US OF AN ADDRESS CHANGE."BUT,
TX-DOT SHOULD BE ABLE TO
VERIFY ADDRESSES ON ITS OWN,
WHICH SHOULD HELP CUT DOWN ON
CONFUSION AND MASSIVE
COLLECTIONS FEES. YOU SEE,
UNDER TEXAS LAW AND THROUGH
THIS "INTER-AGENCY CONTRACT,"
TXDOT IS SUPPOSED TO USE
D-M-V'S RECORDS SYSTEM TO
TRACK DOWN DRIVERS WHO PAY BY
MAIL ON THE TOLL ROADS... OR
GET IT TO THE RIGHT PLACE,
THROUGH "OTHER RELIABLE
MEANS." IN FRIAR'S CASE... THE
D-M-V SAYS -- IT HAS THE
CORRECT ADDRESS FOR THE
CURRENT OWNER, WHO WE ALSO
TRACKED DOWN... JUST TO MAKE
SURE. BRITTANY GLAS,
REPORTING: "THERE ARE HUGE
DISCREPANCIES WITH THE ADDRESS
SYSTEM. THE WAY THAT
TXDOT/TXTAG WORKS WITH DMV.
THINGS AREN'T ADDING UP."
VERONICA BEYER, TXDOT
SPOKESPERSON: "WE... THAT'S
NOT WHAT WE'RE SEEING AT ALL."
AT THE LATEST TEXAS
TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
MEETING, AN AGENCY
SPOKESPERSON BLOCKED OUR
QUESTIONS FROM COMMISSIONERS.
BRITTANY GLAS, REPORTING:
"BILLS ARE GETTING SENT TO
PEOPLE THAT THEY SHOULDN'T BE
GETTING SENT TO AND THAT'S WHY
PEOPLE AREN'T GETTING THEIR
BILLS."VERONICA BEYER, TXDOT:
"WE ARE USING THE ADDRESSES
THAT WE HAVE WITH DMV, SO THEY
SHOULD BE GETTING THEIR BILLS."
FRIAR NEVER DID.HE SAYS HE
NEVER RECEIVED ANY TXTAG BILLS
AT THE HOME WHERE HE'S LIVED
THE LAST SEVEN YEARS, DURING
THE TIME IN QUESTION. NATHAN
FRIAR: "I'M SURE I'M NOT THE
ONLY PERSON. TEXAS IS A BIG
STATE. THERE'S GOT TO BE LOTS
OF FOLKS OUT THERE WHO HAVE
TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR BILLS THAT
HAVE NO IDEA THEY HAVE 'EM,
AND THAT'S JUST ALARMING. THEY
GOT TO FIND A NEW SYSTEM."
BRITTANY GLAS, REPORTING:
"TXDOT HAS TOLD US ALL
ALONG... THIS WOULD NOT BE AN
ISSUE, IF CUSTOMERS PAID THEIR
BILLS. THAT DOESN'T SATISFY
SOME STATE LAWMAKERS, WHO ARE
NOW GOING DIRECTLY TO THE
COMMISSION THAT OVERSEES
TXDOT, DEMANDING ANSWERS...
AND PLANNING SOLUTIONS AHEAD
OF THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE
SESSION. MORE ABOUT THAT
TOMORROW ON KXAN NEWS AFTER
THE OLYMPICS. IN AUSTIN...
BRITTANY GLAS, BACK TO YOU."
THANKS, BRITTANY.AFTER WE
FIRST STARTED INVESTIGATING
LAST FALL, THE HOUSE SPEAKER
ADDED "TOLL TRANSPARENCY" TO A
LIST OF ISSUES FOR THE
TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE TO
TAKE UP AHEAD OF THE NEXT
LEGISLATIVE SESSION.THIS PAST
WEEK, WE WERE AT THAT
COMMITTEE'S FIRST HEARING,
WHERE IT WAS CLEAR LAWMAKERS
ARE PRIORITIZING THIS AS THEY
WORK TO CRAFT UPCOMING
LEGISLATION AND MAKE
IMPROVEMENTS TO THE TXTAG
SYSTEM.REP. INA MINJAREZ,
D-SAN ANTONIO: "THERE'S BEEN
PEOPLE THAT ARE IN DIRE
STRAITS. I MEAN, JUST
RIDICULOUS AMOUNTS OF MONEY
AND THEY'RE TRYING TO DEAL
WITH THE PROBLEM. IT'S NOT
LIKE THEY'RE RUNNING. THEY'VE
CALLED TXDOT, THEY'VE CALLED
THE TOLL AUTHORITIES AND HAVE
JUST BEEN IGNORED OR PASSED
ON." BEFORE WE HEAR LAWMAKERS'
NEXT STEPS IN TOMORROW NIGHT'S
REPORT, CATCH UP ON OUR
COMPLETE COVERAGE WITH "TXTAG
TROUBLES," AN INTERACTIVE
DIGITAL INVESTIGATION YOU'LL
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TxDOT has no real explanation for how some toll bills are going to wrong addresses

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