Bay Area bridge toll violations increase 200% from pre-pandemic levels
The number of people racking up Bay Area bridge toll violations has soared since the system went cashless amid the pandemic in March 2020, according to data obtained by The Standard. Bridge authorities issued about 12.5 million toll violations in the fiscal year ending in June 2023, the data shows, a more than 200% increase over the 2019 total.
10% of Bay Bridge crossings end in a violation. 8% of Dumbarton Bridge crossings end in a violation
“This long lag between when the toll transaction ‘opens’ and when it ‘closes’ makes an apples-to-apples comparison between the current environment (FasTrak, invoice, etc.) and the previous environment (FasTrak or cash) impossible,” Goodwin wrote in an email.
The Bay Area Toll Authority paused sending unpaid violation notices to the Department of Motor Vehicles, where they would hold up vehicle registrations, in December 2020, Goodwin said. But that pause is set to end later this fall when the agency plans to send its backlog of hundreds of thousands of unpaid violations to the DMV, he added.
Last month, the toll agency launched a payment plan program for people whose household income is no more than 200% of the federal poverty level, about $60,000 for a family of four, which will waive violation penalties. It’s also offering a one-time violation penalty waiver for all customers, regardless of income, available through September 2024.
Meanwhile, advocates have rung alarm bells that express lane and toll violation costs can climb into the thousands of dollars—payments that drivers have to scrape together when they go to renew their vehicle registration, the Mercury News reported.
The Bay Area Toll Authority paused sending unpaid violation notices to the Department of Motor Vehicles, where they would hold up vehicle registrations, in December 2020, Goodwin said. But that pause is set to end later this fall when the agency plans to send its backlog of hundreds of thousands of unpaid violations to the DMV, he added.
Last month, the toll agency launched a payment plan program for people whose household income is no more than 200% of the federal poverty level, about $60,000 for a family of four, which will waive violation penalties. It’s also offering a one-time violation penalty waiver for all customers, regardless of income, available through September 2024.