The Transportation and Public Works Department’s Highway and Transportation Authority began collecting AutoExpreso fines again on Monday, October 18, imposing $15 penalties on drivers who pass through a toll lane without funds in their account. Drivers get a five-day grace period to recharge their account before the $15 fine per unpaid toll takes effect. Fines had been suspended since mid-April 2022, when system operator Professional Account Management (PAM) suffered a cyberattack that compromised the system, especially account recharges.
Transportation Secretary Edwin González said in July that significant investments were made during the suspension to modernize and strengthen the AutoExpreso system. The fines return as a requirement of the Fiscal Plan approved by the Oversight Board, and the agency estimates they could raise about $30 million annually. In the Legislature, a bill to reduce the fine from $15 to $10 is pending: authored by Representative José Hernández Concepción, it was approved by the House of Representatives on September 17 and was endorsed with amendments by the Senate Transportation, Telecommunications, Public Services and Consumer Affairs Committee; it now awaits scheduling for a Senate vote and, if passed, would need Governor Jenniffer González Colón’s signature to become law.
House PPD spokesperson Héctor Ferrer Santiago criticized the move as another 'blow to the pocketbook' by the administration, saying the PNP government should be easing economic burdens rather than adding pressure on family budgets.