Ways to Pay Tolls

The account can then be replenished by visiting a Cash Payment Location. If you don’t have a FasTrak Account, you can pay your Golden Gate Bridge toll by opening a License Plate Account, making a One-Time Payment, or paying a Toll Invoice. TCA is committed to protecting your privacy and keeping you informed.

Golden Gate Bridge

Failure to pay the established bridge toll is a violation of California’s toll evasion statutes. If you drive through a toll location without a valid FasTrak toll tag or a License Plate Account, you will receive an invoice in the mail. If you don’t pay your invoice by its due date, you will receive a violation notice. All accounts have been issued a small, free sticker transponder for each vehicle listed on the account – enabling all accounts to pay tolls on every tolled bridge, lane and road in California. There are no monthly account maintenance fees and prepaid accounts are eligible for discounted toll rates. FasTrak is a convenient to pay tolls on all toll bridges, express lanes, and for parking at San Francisco International Airport.

• Access the toll agency’s website, where you’ll often find a one-time payment option.
• When you pass through a toll without paying, the toll agency typically issues a Toll Enforcement Invoice.
• Click here to read the account license agreement (Opens in a new window).
• Before driving a rental car on The Toll Roads, ask the rental car company how they process tolls and fees.
• When navigating toll roads, it’s crucial to understand not just how to pay, but the types of tolls that you might encounter and the technology that makes payment possible.
• Other tolled facilities are operated by other agencies and each agency sets its own FasTrak policies.
• If you’ve traveled on a toll road without an invoice, don’t worry, there are several payment options available to settle your tolls.

I have a FasTrak toll tag, but I still received a violation notice in the mail. Why did this happen?

• Carpools and motorcycles may receive a discount on bridge carpool lanes during designated hours, and can use express lanes toll free or at a discount.
• All FasTrak accounts include free Sticker Transponder which can be used to drive all over California.
• Many rental car companies offer ways to pay tolls conveniently through the rental agreement.
• If you prefer to remain anonymous, that is an option offered when using FasTrak.
• Cash payment is no longer collected at any of the eight toll bridges.
• To choose which toll payment option is best suited for your needs, consider how frequently you cross the Golden Gate Bridge and how often you use other Bay Area toll bridges and express lanes where FasTrak is accepted.

State law requires a transponder to be in the vehicle or valid license plates properly mounted to the vehicle. You can still drive The Toll Roads and pay with your new account. With a FasTrak Account, a vehicle-mounted toll tag is read by antennae. If no toll tag is present, cameras are positioned in each toll lane to record images of your front and rear license plates as your vehicle passes through the toll plaza.

In-Person Payment Methods

It’s the only toll payment method that allows carpools, motorcycles, vanpools, and eligible clean air vehicles to use the carpool lanes on bridges and it’s required for Bay Area Express Lanes. FasTrak also gives you the option to bypass the parking pay booth at the airport. 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.

Electronic Toll Collection Systems

• The $40 is calculated using the base toll rate (excluding discounts earned during the previous statement period).
• Up to five different license plate numbers may be added per account.
• TCA is committed to protecting your privacy and keeping you informed.
• Should you forget to pay a toll, you might receive a violation notice.
• If you have a dispute or question about a letter you received from Professional Account Management, LLC (PAM) regarding outstanding violations, you will need to contact the collection agency directly.

If you use an express lane without a valid FasTrak account you will receive a notice of toll evasion. Equipment at toll plazas and along express lanes reads the tag information and the number of axles on your vehicle. This information determines the correct toll and automatically deducts the amount from the FasTrak account’s prepaid balance.

Mounting a Toll Tag on a Motorcycle

If the first violation notice goes unpaid, a second violation notice will be issued, with increased penalties. If this second notice goes unpaid, the amount due is referred the California Department of Motor Vehicles which will withhold your vehicle registration until the penalties are paid. For out-of-state vehicles, the matter is referred to a collections agency. The new sticker transponders cost significantly less than the battery-operated hard-case transponder currently used to collect tolls electronically in the state. With introduction of this new technology we will be passing the cost savings to its FasTrak accountholders, by ending the current monthly account maintenance fee.

If you prefer to remain anonymous, that is an option offered when using FasTrak. Perform a simple search to determine if you have unclaimed funds with FasTrak. Your password will be reset and a temporary password will be emailed to you within one hour. To log in, use your username, account number, transponder number or phone number as your username. It usually takes about a week to receive a transponder(s) once an application is received. Switchable and external transponders are available for purchase.

There are no invoices, prepayments, statements or transponders – but you do pay the highest toll rates. Tolls on the Golden Gate Bridge vary by vehicle occupancy, vehicle type, and payment method. To qualify for the discounted carpool rate, you must meet the eligibility requirements, use designated carpool invoice number meaning lanes, and pay the toll with FasTrak. Because exterior toll tags do not have a switch to indicate how many people are riding in the car, they are not eligible for discounts in express lanes. The exterior toll tag is designed to be screw-mounted on the front bumper, where the license plate is located.

We have equipment at the Toll Plaza that can detect a signal from a FasTrak toll tag and capture images of vehicle license plates. If a FasTrak signal is detected, the toll is automatically link to and posted to the related FasTrak account. If a signal is not detected, the license plate number is used to link to a FasTrak account, a License Plate Account, or a One-Time Payment. If none exists, a Toll Invoice (for just the toll amount) is generated within several days and mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle.

• You can attach the exterior toll tag on the front bumper, either above or below the license plate, using the tamper-resistant screws and unique wrench that come with the exterior toll tag.
• Your password will be reset and a temporary password will be emailed to you within one hour.
• The Golden Gate Bridge converted to all electronic tolling in March 2015 for several key reasons.
• As of July 1, 2019, transponders are no longer charged an account maintenance fee.
• Automated phone system available outside these hours and on holidays.

Many toll booths have shifted to electronic or exact change only systems, which means you need to be prepared with the exact amount of change or find an alternative payment method. If you’ve recently passed through a toll booth without paying, it’s important to address the situation promptly to avoid additional charges. If you’ve driven through a toll without a transponder, check the toll authority’s website promptly to pay before incurring additional fines. When navigating toll roads, it’s crucial to understand not just how to pay, but the types of tolls that you might encounter and the technology that makes payment possible.