On Friday, July 1, 2022, all Golden Gate Bridge toll rates will increase. This includes the FasTrak Account rate (from $8.05 to $8.40), the Pay-As-You-Go rate (includes License Plate Accounts and One-Time Payments, from $8.60 to $8.80), Toll Invoice rate (from $9.05 to $9.40), carpool rate (from $6.05 to $6.40), and multi-axle vehicle toll rates.

This increase is part of a five-year, incremental toll increase adopted by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District's Board of Directors in March 2019.

The complete toll chart can be viewed at https://www.goldengate.org/ggb-toll-rates-increase-july-1-2021/(opens in a new window).

New express lanes on US 101 and SR-85 are now operating!

The 101 San Mateo Express Lanes are operated by the San Mateo County Express Lanes Joint Powers Authority and run north and southbound between Whipple Avenue in Redwood City and the San Mateo/Santa Clara County line. The 101 Santa Clara Express Lanes are operated by VTA and run north and southbound from SR-237 to the Santa Clara/San Mateo County line. The lanes adjoin each other but are operated by separate authorities, so separate toll charges will appear when crossing the San Mateo/Santa Clara County border.

The SR-85 Express Lanes are located between Central Expressway and the 101/SR-85 interchange in Mountain View and are operated by VTA.

Here are rules for the new express lanes:

• All vehicles must have a FasTrak® toll tag to use the express lanes;
• Three-person carpools, vanpools, buses, two-seat vehicles carrying two people and motorcycles with a FasTrak Flex toll tag set to the 3+ position travel toll free;
• Two-person carpools with a FasTrak Flex toll tag set to the 2+ position pay half-price tolls;
• Solo drivers of eligible clean-air vehicles (CAVs) with a FasTrak CAV toll tag set in the 1 position pay half-price tolls. Eligible CAVs are those with yellow, blue, orange or purple decals. Drivers can apply for a FasTrak CAV toll tag here; and
• Other solo drivers pay the full toll to use the Express Lanes with either a standard FasTrak toll tag or a FasTrak Flex tag set to the 1 position.

Operating hours for express lanes are weekdays from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Toll prices adjust dynamically depending on real-time traffic levels (rise as traffic increases and fall as traffic declines). Digital signs over the roadway display the toll rates for various destinations. Customers always pay the toll displayed when they enter the express lane, even if toll rates change during their trip. Toll-paying customers pay for each toll zone they enter. There are three toll zones on the 101 San Mateo Express Lanes (two northbound, one southbound), 11 toll zones on the 101 Santa Clara Express Lanes (six northbound and five southbound) and two toll zones on the SR-85 Express Lanes (one northbound and one southbound).

Express lanes are designed to keep traffic moving reliably without congestion, and to encourage travelers to carpool or use transit to get a faster trip. Learn more about using the express lanes at https://www.bayareafastrak.org/en/tolls/toll-locations.shtml(opens in a new window).

With the new year just a month away, the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) reminds drivers that tolls at the region's seven state-owned toll bridges will go up by $1 on Jan. 1, 2022. This will be the second of the three $1 toll increases approved by the Legislature in 2017 through state Senate Bill 595 and by voters through Regional Measure 3 in June 2018. The first of these toll hikes went into effect on Jan. 1, 2019. The last of the Regional Measure 3 toll increases will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

Regular tolls for two-axle cars and trucks (as well as for motorcycles) at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay, Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael and San Mateo-Hayward bridges will rise to $7 from the current $6 on Jan. 1, 2022.

Tolls for vehicles with three or more axles also will rise by $1 on Jan. 1, 2022, at all seven of the state-owned toll bridges: to $17 for three axles, $22 for four-axles, $27 for five axles, $32 for six axles, and $37 for combinations with seven or more axles.

Senate Bill 595 and Regional Measure 3 continue the peak-period toll discount for motorcycles, carpools and qualifying clean-air vehicles crossing any of the state-owned toll bridges on weekdays from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The discounted toll is scheduled to increase to $3.50 on Jan. 1, 2022, from the current $3. To qualify for this discount, carpoolers, motorcyclists and drivers of qualifying clean-air vehicles must use FasTrak® to pay their tolls electronically and must use a designated carpool lane at each toll plaza.

Senate Bill 595 and Regional Measure 3 also established a $1 toll discount for two-axle vehicles crossing more than one of the state-owned toll bridges during weekday commute hours of 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. To be eligible for the toll discount, which is to be applied to the second toll crossing of the day, motorists must pay their tolls electronically with FasTrak. Carpools, motorcycles and qualifying clean-air vehicles making a second peak-period toll crossing in a single day will qualify for an additional 50-cent discount off the already-discounted carpool toll.

New FasTrak customers can obtain toll tags at hundreds of Walgreens and Costco stores around the Bay Area. A complete list of participating locations — as well as an online enrollment and registration feature — is available on the FasTrak website at bayareafastrak.org. Customers also may enroll in the FasTrak program by phone at 877-229-8655; by calling 511 and asking for "FasTrak" at the first prompt; or in person at the FasTrak customer service center at 375 Beale Street in San Francisco. Operating hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. FasTrak can be used in all lanes at all Bay Area toll plazas.

Because a legal challenge to Senate Bill 595 and Regional Measure 3 remains pending before the California Supreme Court, the January 1, 2022 toll increase, when collected, will be placed into an escrow account managed by an independent trustee. Revenue from the 2019 toll increase also is being held in escrow. If BATA prevails in the litigation, the funds will be applied to BATA-approved programs.

Major projects in the Regional Measure 3 expenditure plan include improvements to State Route 37 in the North Bay, freeway interchange improvements in Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano counties, the purchase of more new BART cars, extension of the BART system from Berryessa to downtown San Jose and Santa Clara, extension of the Caltrain corridor to the Salesforce Transit Center in downtown San Francisco, expansion of Muni's transit vehicle fleet, expansion of San Francisco Bay Ferry service and more frequent transbay bus service, a direct freeway connector from northbound U.S. 101 in Marin County to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, upgrades to the Dumbarton Bridge corridor, and extension of the SMART rail system to Windsor and Healdsburg in Sonoma County.

BATA, which is directed by the same policy board as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), administers toll revenues from the Bay Area's seven state-owned toll bridges. 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. MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) today announced a sharp reduction in the penalties associated with toll violation notices sent by the FasTrak® customer service center to customers with unpaid toll bridge crossing invoices.

Effective immediately — and retroactive to all violation notices since Jan. 1 of this year for outstanding tolls at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay, Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael and San Mateo-Hayward bridges — the penalty for first violation notices drops to $5 from the previous $25 and the penalty for second violation notices falls to $15 from the previous $70.

Bridge customers who paid toll violation penalties earlier this year will receive a refund for the difference between the amount(s) they paid and the amount(s) due under the new policy. Distribution of these refunds will begin in February 2022 and continue over the next several months, after which a claim process will be posted at bayareafastrak.org for customers who believe they are owed a refund and did not receive one.

The new policy toward violation penalties was approved by BATA at its October 2021 meeting and marks the first policy change adopted as part of its Bay Area tolling equity action plan unveiled in May 2021. BATA at its November 2021 meeting approved several additional policy changes slated to become effective in the spring of 2022. These include dropping the cost of the FasTrak toll tag deposit for new customers who choose not to link their account to a credit card to $5 from the previous $20; crediting $15 to the prepaid toll accounts of existing customers who paid a $20 tag deposit; reducing the minimum opening balance for a FasTrak account for customers who pay with cash or check to $25 from the previous $50; and eliminating transaction fees for customers who replenish FasTrak accounts or pay violation penalties at a cash network location. BATA and the FasTrak customer service center in the coming months are expected to implement additional recommendations designed to make enrollment in the FasTrak electronic toll payment system more convenient, accessible and affordable.

FasTrak customers already account for about three-quarters of all crossings at the Bay Area's state-owned toll bridges. BATA encourages customers who do not already have FasTrak to open accounts online at bayareafastrak.org or by phone at 877-229-8655 (BAY-TOLL). Customers also may obtain FasTrak tags at select Costco and Walgreens stores. A map of retail locations at which FasTrak tags are available may be found at bayareafastrak.org/retail. Tags purchased at Costco or Walgreens must be registered online. Drivers who would rather replenish their FasTrak accounts with cash can do so at more than 100 Cash Payment Network locations, now including Walmart stores. A map of these locations may be found at bayareafastrak.org/cashlocations.

Drivers also may open a License Plate Account, which is a pay-as-you-go option that links a license plate to an account and charges that account whenever the vehicle crosses a toll bridge; or make a one-time payment, which allows the customer to pay a toll online up to 30 days in advance of a bridge crossing or within 48 hours afterwards. There are no fees for either of these services. More information about License Plate Accounts and one-time payments is available at bayareafastrak.org.

Customers who do not have FasTrak or a License Plate Account — and who do not use the online one-time payment option — are required to return invoices with payment within 21 days. Customers who neglect to return payment by the due date on the invoice will receive a "Notice of Toll Evasion" with a $5 penalty for each toll crossing. Customers who do not return payment by the due date on the "Notice of Toll Evasion" will receive a "Second Notice of Delinquent Toll Evasion" with a violation penalty of $15 per crossing. Customers who do not return payment after a second notice may have a hold put on their vehicle registration by the DMV or have the amount owed referred to a collection agency.

BATA administers all toll revenues from the region's seven state-owned toll bridges.

After being closed for a year and a half due to Covid-19, the FasTrak Walk-In Customer Service Center is reopening to customers. The center is located at 375 Beale St., San Francisco. The hours of the center are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Customers can pay tolls and violations, return and get toll tags, discuss disputes and get additional account assistance.

When customers arrive at the center, they will be required to wear a mask and complete a health questionnaire. They also will need to observe strict social distancing and building capacity limitations.

The new 11-mile Express Lane along southbound Interstate 680 from Martinez through Walnut Creek is now open. By linking with the existing Express Lane from Rudgear Road in Walnut Creek to Alcosta Blvd. in San Ramon, the new opening creates a continuous 22-mile southbound I-680 Express Lane through Contra Costa County.

• All vehicles must have a FasTrak® toll tag to use the Express Lanes;
• Carpools with two or more people, vanpools, buses and motorcycles travel toll-free with a FasTrak Flex toll tag set to the 2 or 3+ position;
• Solo drivers of eligible clean-air vehicles (CAVs) pay half-price tolls with a FasTrak CAV toll tag. Eligible CAVs are those with red, purple, orange or blue decals; and
• Other solo drivers pay the full toll to use the Express Lanes with either a standard FasTrak toll tag or a FasTrak Flex tag set to the 1 position.

Operating hours for Express Lanes are weekdays from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tolls rise as traffic increases and fall as traffic declines. Digital signs over the roadway display the toll rates for various destinations. Customers always pay the toll displayed when they enter the Express Lane, even if toll rates change during their trip. Toll-paying customers pay for each toll zone they enter. There are five southbound toll zones from Martinez to San Ramon.

Express Lanes are designed to keep traffic moving reliably without congestion, and to encourage travelers to carpool or use transit to get a free and faster trip. Drivers can visit 511.org to learn everything they need to know to use Bay Area Express Lanes, how to find a carpool match, and how to sign up for FasTrak.

If you think you are affected by the recent Golden Gate Bridge toll issue, please click here for more information: https://www.goldengate.org/fastrak-tolling-issue-update/(opens in a new window).

On Thursday, July 1, 2021, all Golden Gate Bridge toll rates will increase. This includes the FasTrak Account rate (from $7.70 to $8.05), the Pay-As-You-Go rate (includes License Plate Accounts and One-Time Payments, from $8.40 to $8.60), Toll Invoice rate (from $8.70 to $9.05), carpool rate (from $5.70 to $6.05), and multi-axle vehicle toll rates.

This increase is part of a multi-year toll increase program approved by the Golden Gate Bridge Board of Directors in March 2019.

The complete toll chart is here: https://www.goldengate.org/ggb-toll-rates-increase-july-1-2021/(opens in a new window).

Beginning January 1, 2021, all Bay Area toll bridges have switched to automatic toll collection. Following the suspension of cash toll collection in March 2020, drivers who did not pay their tolls with FasTrak received individual toll notices for each crossing. Those drivers will now receive a monthly invoice and payment is required within 21 days.

• Customers who do not pay by the invoice due date will receive a "Notice of Toll Evasion" with a $25 penalty for each toll crossing.
• Customers who do not return invoices with payment after 60 days will receive a "Second Notice of Delinquent Toll Evasion" with a violation penalty of $70 per crossing.
• Customers who do not return payment after a second notice may have a hold put on their vehicle registration by the DMV and/or have the amount owed referred to a collection agency.

Drivers can choose a more convenient way to pay bridge tolls by opening a FasTrak account, License Plate account, or make a One-Time payment:

FasTrak

FasTrak automatically deducts tolls from a prepaid account using a toll tag attached to your vehicle. You can add more money to your account automatically with a credit card (the easiest way to ensure your FasTrak account always has funds) or with cash, check, or money order. There are no fees to open a FasTrak account, get a toll tag, or use it to pay your tolls.*

Paying with FasTrak is the only way to receive discounted tolls for carpools, motorcycles, and eligible clean air vehicles, as well as the lowest toll rate on the Golden Gate Bridge.

Open a FasTrak account online with a credit card

*Authorized merchants may collect a separate convenience fee for account replenishments paid with cash.

License Plate Account

License Plate Accounts are an option for drivers who choose to "pay as they go." A License Plate Account uses your license plate number to identify your vehicle and matches it to your account. If the account is linked to a credit card, the toll is charged to the card each time your vehicle crosses a bridge. There is no prepaid balance required and there are no extra fees.

If the account is opened using cash*, check, or money order, you must have a prepaid toll balance and the toll is deducted from the balance each time your vehicle crosses a bridge. There are no extra fees.

Set up a License Plate Account online with a credit card

*Authorized merchants may collect a separate convenience fee.

One-Time Payment

If you're visiting or only in the area for a short time, a One-Time Payment may be best for you. One-Time Payments are set up for a short, specific period of time and can be used to pay a toll after you cross a bridge (within 48 hours) or for future tolls (up to 30 days). There are no extra fees for One-Time Payments.

Your license plate number will be used to link your vehicle to your payment. A One-Time Payment can be made online with a credit card or by cash, check or money order at Cash Payment Locations*.

Make a one-time payment online with a credit card

*Some Cash Payment Locations may not accept check or money order. If you would like to pay by check or money order, please check with the location first. Authorized merchants may collect a separate convenience fee for cash transactions.

To better manage traffic on I-880, the carpool lanes have been converted to express lanes between Oakland and Milpitas. This gives solo drivers the option to pay a toll to use the lanes and ensures that all users, including carpoolers, get a reliably faster trip.

• The express lanes will operate from 5 am to 8 pm, Monday through Friday. They are free for all drivers on weekends and weeknights.
• 3-person carpools, buses, vanpools and motorcycles must use a FasTrak Flex toll tag set to 3+ to travel toll free.
• 2-person carpools pay a toll. Use a FasTrak Flex or FasTrak CAV toll tag with the switch set to 2 and receive a 50% discount.
• Solo drivers in eligible clean air vehicles (CAVs) pay a toll. Use a FasTrak CAV toll tag to receive a 50% discount.
• Other solo drivers pay the full toll to use the express lane with either a standard FasTrak toll tag or a FasTrak Flex toll tag switch set at 1.

For information on the new I-880 express lanes, visit 511.org(opens in a new window) or watch the I-880 express lane videos(opens in a new window).

I-680 CONTRA COSTA-NEW HOV LANES AND TOLLS FOR CLEAN AIR VEHICLES

Half-price Tolls for Eligible CAVs

Starting Friday, October 2, solo drivers in eligible CAVs in the I-680 Contra Costa Express Lanes will be required to pay tolls. Drivers using a FasTrak CAV toll tag will receive a 50% discount. Solo drivers using a FasTrak Flex toll tag with the switch in position 2 or 3+ may receive a toll violation from CHP.

To apply for the FasTrak CAV toll tag, visit the Clean Air Vehicles page.

New HOV-2+ Lanes

On August 24, a new High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) 2+ lane opened on southbound I-680 between Treat Blvd. and Rudgear Rd. These lanes operate from 5 am to 8 pm, Monday – Friday. During these times, only 2+ person carpools and eligible clean air vehicles (displaying red, purple or orange CAV decals) can use the far-left lane.

Double-white lines are in place to restrict access into and out of the HOV-2+ lane. These buffers run from SR-242 to Treat Blvd. and from Rudgear Rd. to Stone Valley Rd. It is illegal to cross the buffers at any time of day and median barrier signs explain where to exit the HOV-2+ lane to access highway exits.

For information on the new I-680 HOV-2+ lane, visit https://511.org/driving/express-lanes/g-i-680-contra-costa-southbound-managed-lane(opens in a new window).

For information on the I-680 Contra Costa lane restrictions, view these FAQs: https://511.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/FAQ-Getting-In-Out.pdf(opens in a new window).

SR-237 EXPRESS LANES-TOLLS REQUIRED FOR 2-PERSON CARPOOLS

Beginning Friday, October 2, vehicles with two occupants are no longer eligible for toll-free travel in the SR-237 Express Lanes. Vehicles with two occupants (including eligible CAVs) will be required to pay a toll, but will receive a 50% toll discount when using a FasTrak Flex or FasTrak CAV toll tag switched to position 2.

Starting August 10, 2020, Caltrans and the Alameda County Transportation Commission will modify usage requirements and restrict the I-680 Sunol Express Lane to carpool only access.

The I-680 lane will be restricted to carpools to accommodate construction work such as paving, striping, electrical system upgrades, and other improvements that will synchronize the express lanes.

The work may require temporary lane closures on southbound I-680. All closures will take place overnight between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. Motorists are advised to follow signage.

For information on the I-680 Sunol Express Lane, visit https://www.bayareafastrak.org/en/tolls/i-680-sunol-express-lanes.shtml.

For traffic updates, follow 511.org: https://twitter.com/511SFBAY(opens in a new window). For real-time traffic, click on Caltrans QuickMap: http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/(opens in a new window).

In light of the steep drop in vehicle traffic across the Bay Area's seven state-owned toll bridges due to state and local shelter-in-place mandates during the ongoing COVID-19 health emergency, the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) today voted to suspend weekday congestion pricing - also known as time-of-day pricing - at the Bay Bridge toll plaza. Effective at midnight tonight, tolls for regular two-axle vehicles on each of the state-owned toll bridges will be standardized at $6 on all days and at all times.

Congestion pricing originally was implemented at the Bay Bridge in 2010. Currently, weekday Bay Bridge tolls are set at $5 from midnight to 5 a.m., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and from 7 p.m. to midnight; and rise to $7 during the traditional peak hours of 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The current $6 toll rate at the Bay Bridge on Saturdays and Sundays will remain unchanged, as will the $3 toll rate for three-person carpools and qualifying clean-air vehicles.

The volume of weekday traffic across the Bay Bridge and the six other state-owned toll bridges has fallen about 50 percent below 2019 levels since the Bay Area's shelter-in-place order went into effect on March 17, while weekend traffic has stabilized at about 65 percent below last year's levels.

The SR-237 Express Lanes have been extended to Mathilda Avenue, and new rules are in effect:

• Hours of operations are now 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Carpoolers, vanpoolers and motorcyclists will need a FasTrak Flex toll tag set in the 2 or 3+ position to travel toll free.
• Clean air vehicles (CAVs) with orange, purple, or red clean air decals will need a FasTrak CAV toll tag to get a 50% discount on express lane tolls.

Visit VTA's Frequently Asked Questions(opens in a new window) for more information.

Metro ExpressLanes, which operates the I-10 and I-110 Metro ExpressLanes, is updating its Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) policy. Bay Area FasTrak customers will have to register their toll tag/license plate with LA Metro to receive the CAV discount.

Beginning March 1, 2019 clean air vehicles (CAV) displaying a DMV-issued red or purple CAV decal can use the I-10 and I-110 Metro ExpressLanes and receive a 15% discount off of the posted rate. Eligible carpools with a FasTrak Flex (switchable) transponder can use the Metro ExpressLanes toll-free.

All clean air vehicles must set the switch on their FasTrak transponder to indicate the actual number of people in the vehicle for a given trip. CAVs are no longer allowed to use the 2 or 3+ transponder switch settings unless that many persons are present in the vehicle. Any CAVs incorrectly using the 2 or 3+ switch setting without that many occupants in the vehicle will be subject to CHP citation.

Eligibility requirements are different on the two ExpressLanes:

• On the I-10 Metro ExpressLanes, vehicles with three or more occupants travel toll-free at all hours. Vehicles with two occupants will only pay a toll during peak hours, Monday-Friday from 5-9am and 4-7pm.
• On the I-110 Metro ExpressLanes, vehicles with two or more occupants travel toll free at all hours.

Bay Area FasTrak customers are not required to open a new account with Metro ExpressLanes, but they must register their vehicle to qualify for the CAV discount. Visit metro.net/expresslanes/cav(opens in a new window) to register your CAV. Please make sure you have proof of decal on hand as further information may be needed during registration. Non-Metro account holders are prohibited from using the registered transponder in any other vehicle when accessing the Metro ExpressLanes

Beginning Monday, February 11, 2019, BART service will change to start at 5 a.m. (from the current 4 a.m. start) to accommodate the Transbay tube seismic retrofit project. Transit agencies will provide alternative express and Transbay bus service on weekdays from 4 a.m. to 5 a.m. This service change is expected to last about 3-1/2 years.

The far-left toll lane is usually closed to all traffic until 5 a.m., but for the duration of the early-morning BART closure, express buses approaching the bridge from Interstate 580 will use this lane starting at 4 a.m. Between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., the lane will not be open to any vehicles - including carpoolers, vanpools, motorcycles and clean-air vehicles. Drivers will be subject to citation if they use the lane during this period. Starting at 5 a.m., the lane will open to high-occupancy vehicles as usual.