Cash Toll Collection Suspended On 7 Bay Area Bridges

BAY AREA, CA — Cash toll collection at seven San Francisco Bay Area bridges is to be suspended at 11:59 p.m. Friday at the request of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to Caltrans and the Bay Area Toll Authority. The temporary measure is to minimize the risk of coronavirus exposure not only for toll collectors but for drivers who pay with cash, authorities said.

The temporary suspension of cash toll collection is effective on the Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael, San Francisco-Oakland Bay or San Mateo-Hayward bridges. The Golden Gate Bridge adopted all-electronic tolling in 2013.

As of 12:01 a.m. Saturday, booths at all Bay Area toll plazas are to be unmanned.

Drivers who would normally stop and pay cash should keep driving through the toll plaza without stopping, according to Caltrans and BATA.

Images of license plates captured by high-speed cameras are to be processed by FasTrak®, then mailed to the address at which the vehicle is registered with the DMV.

Patrons who normally use a FasTrak® toll tag or license plate account for toll collection will not notice a difference in their statement.

Customers who normally paid cash when crossing the bridges will instead receive a statement in the mail titled "Toll Violation Notice," but according to Caltrans and BATA, the transactions are not considered violations. The amount due on each notice is for the toll amount only.

"FasTrak customer service center will waive all toll violation penalties during the period in which cash toll collection is suspended, and also will suspend the escalation of penalties for previous unpaid toll crossings," according to Caltrans and BATA. "This will include a temporary halt to referrals to the DMV for a hold on vehicle registration after a second toll violation notice has gone unpaid."

Caltrans and BATA are to announce when and if cash toll collection resumes on Bay Area toll bridges.