Officials Work on Free Pass for Veterans on Toll 49

TYLER — According to TxTag, this goes back to December of 2012. Disabled veterans, and those who were awarded the Purple Heart or Medal of Honor, are supposed to be allowed to ride on toll roads for free. But some vets got bills in the mail for traveling on Toll 49 that would prove otherwise. “All the vets that were traveling have gotten a bill,” said retired veteran Billy Hearon. “Disabled vets get to ride these toll ways for free, so I took advantage of it and then I got this bill in the mail.”

Our news partner KETK called the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority to find out what was going on. Executive Director Everett Owen said all vets should be allowed a free ride as long as they have the correct licenses plate. “Those people that have the designated license plates, their tolls will be automatically waived,” Owen said. He also said the reason many people are getting charged is because they have toll tags and these tags electronically send out bills that are not directly connected to Toll 49. “You’re better off to not have a toll tag,” Owen said. “If you just have a license plate, it’s a much simpler process to deal with.”

NET RMA is working on a way to stop exempt vets from being charged, but until then you just need to call the Municipal Services Bureau, and they will waive the fee. You can click on http://www.muniserv.com/ for more information.