A very necessary $1 toll increase will go into effect on the Bay Area’s seven state toll bridges in January, bringing the toll to $4 for autos and other two-axle vehicles. Now here’s the good news: You can put off the pain of the toll hike for a month by signing up for FasTrak® electronic toll collection.
Published: December, 2006
The toll hike, which does not affect the Golden Gate Bridge, was authorized by the state Legislature in July 2005 with the passage of Assembly Bill 144, which established a financing plan to complete the state Toll Bridge Seismic Retrofit Program — including construction of the new East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) runs the FasTrak program and approved the toll increase in January 2006. BATA is an offshoot of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and is governed by the same board.
Auto tolls on the affected spans — the Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael, San Francisco-Oakland Bay and San Mateo-Hayward bridges — will rise to $4 from the current $3 level on January 1, 2007. However, drivers of cars and other two-axle vehicles who pay their tolls electronically with a FasTrak toll tag will continue to pay the old $3 toll throughout the month of January. The month-long promotional $1 discount is being offered as a way to encourage motorists to enroll in the FasTrak program, which in addition to short-term cash savings can offer motorists long-term benefits in convenience and reduced congestion.
More than a half-million Bay Area drivers already have FasTrak accounts, said Marin County Supervisor and MTC/BATA Commissioner Steve Kinsey, who chairs the BATA Oversight Committee. We want to thank those customers by offering a discount, and to encourage others to sign up. The electronic toll tags allow drivers to take advantage of the FasTrak-only lanes on Bay Area bridges and make their crossings faster, easier and — during January — cheaper. FasTrak could save a daily commuter more than $20 for the month.
To make it easier for drivers to get their toll tags, BATA is establishing a retail distribution network. Instead of waiting for their toll tag to arrive in the mail, drivers will be able to obtain their toll tags at a participating retail store, where they also can get a free toll bonus (likely in the range of $5). And, customers who use their American Express® Card to replenish their new FasTrak account can get up to another $5 in free tolls.
BATA also has reduced the opening prepaid toll balance required for new customers to $25 from the previous $40, and cut to $20 from the previous $30 the refundable toll tag deposit required for FasTrak customers who open their accounts with cash or a check instead of a credit card. No deposit is required for customers who link their accounts to a credit card and request no more than three toll tags.
FasTrak can be used in all lanes at all Bay Area toll plazas, including at the Golden Gate Bridge. Tolls on the Golden Gate Bridge remain as currently set: $4 for FasTrak users, and $5 for motorists who pay in cash.
Toll revenues from the Golden Gate Bridge are administered by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, which joined with BATA to operate a single regional FasTrak Customer Service Center in San Francisco.
To sign up for FasTrak®, visit the Bay Area travel information site at 511.org. And if you’re in a hurry to get a toll tag in time for the January toll discount promotion, check 511.org in early December for a list of participating retail locations.
