The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) has confirmed that tolls on the region's seven state-owned bridges will increase by 50 cents at the start of the new year. As reported by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), this hike is set to be the first in a series of planned increases stretching through to 2030, aimed at funding the maintenance and operation of key bridges, including the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and others.
There's an incentive for drivers to transition to electronic payments, however. Under the tiered rate structure introduced by BATA to encourage the use of FasTrak toll tags, drivers using this system will encounter lower subsequent rate increases compared to those utilizing license plate accounts or traditional invoicing. Just approved in late 2024, the catch is that these varied increases won't take effect until a year later, in 2025. Commuters who are returning to pay tolls via mailed invoices they will soon be paying a premium for the convenience.
Car and truck drivers will face a new $8.50 toll fee for regular two-axle vehicles starting in 2026, with those using FasTrak expected to pay up to $10.50 by 2030. For larger vehicles, such as freight trucks, the per-axle price is also expected to rise by $0.50 annually over the same period, according to the MTC release. Meanwhile, carpoolers aren't left untouched by the changes; a uniform three-person occupancy will now be required for half-price tolls during certain periods, and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge has its specific requirements for discounts.
But it's not just about fees; safety and efficiency also feature in BATA's updated policies. Designed to smooth out the traffic flow and reduce lane weaving, the new carpool policies also look forward to the age of open-road tolling, with the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge poised to be the first to transition.
