Bay Area Bridge Tolls Climb Again, Some Will Pay More Than Others

BAY AREA, CA — Bay Area drivers will soon pay higher tolls on seven state-owned bridges, with the amount depending on how they pay.

Starting Jan. 1, FasTrak customers will pay $1 less than drivers who opt to pay by invoice. The new rates include:

The increases apply to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay, Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael, and San Mateo-Hayward bridges.

The Bay Area Toll Authority approved the increases in 2024, scheduling annual toll hikes of 50 cents from 2026 until 2030.

Beginning Jan. 1, customers paying through license plate accounts or invoices also pay an additional 25 cents and $1, respectively, to help cover collection costs and encourage FasTrak use.

The additional revenue will fund bridge maintenance, rehabilitation, operations, and payments on the authority’s bond debt.

The increases are separate from the $3 toll increase voters approved in 2018 through Regional Measure 3 for highway and transit improvements.

Current rates already include that measure’s final increase, which took effect Jan. 1, 2025.

Large freight trucks and other vehicles with three or more axles face annual increases of 50 cents per axle from 2026 through 2030.

Planned work includes painting steel towers and structures, repairing decks and cables, upgrading electrical and mechanical systems, and improving protective fenders that shield bridges from ships.

The seven bridges remain structurally sound and in good repair, according to the authority.

Together, they carry more than 200 million vehicle trips annually.