Motorists with unpaid tolls in Maryland have until Nov. 30 to pay them without incurring late fees, according to a pandemic financial relief plan approved Thursday.

       Many of the unpaid tolls accrued between March 2020 and October 2020, when the Maryland Transportation Authority continued to charge tolls but did not mail bills for vehicles without E-ZPass transponders, the authority said. The agency has about $39 million in unpaid invoices, said spokesman John Sales.

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       The authority’s board approved the nine-month grace period for late fees — $25 per tolling transaction after 30 days — following requests from Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and customers. The arrival of the backlogged bills has caught many motorists by surprise, with thousands flooding the agency’s customer call center.

       Beware, Maryland toll road drivers: Invoices for unpaid trips are hitting the mail

       “The deferral of toll bills during the pandemic protected Marylanders from hardship during one of the greatest health and economic emergencies of our lifetime,” said Maryland Transportation Secretary James F. Ports Jr. “But we realize paying off those bills now can be a challenge for many families.”

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       Starting Thursday, motorists have until midnight Nov. 30 to pay bills without late fees. Also during that time, no accounts will be referred to collections or for possible suspension of the vehicle’s registration, officials said. The grace period is not retroactive for late fees paid or postmarked before Thursday.

       Ragina Ali, spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, said the motorist advocacy group was pleased the state had addressed “what has clearly been a nightmare for many toll customers.”

       “While the deferral of tolls during the pandemic may have been well-intended to provide relief for Maryland motorists during a challenging time, the unexpected bills and fees that have mounted, for many, has created a hardship within itself," Ali said.

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       Late fees will continue to appear in customers’ online accounts until mid-March, when the software is updated to reflect the penalty waivers, and backlogged invoices will continue to arrive this spring, the authority has said.

       The agency said it also will work with its vendor to increase the number of customer service agents to reduce wait times for customers’ calls and online chats.

       Maryland wants out-of-state drivers to pay tolls