Press Releases

For Immediate Release

$3 Toll Kicks in July 1— Motorists Signing Up for FasTrak® at Record Rate

FasTrak® Users Get $1 Discount Through October 31

Sign up for FasTrak® at 511.org

Contact:

Rod McMillan, MTC/BATA
510.817.5860

Randy Rentschler, MTC/BATA
510.817.5780

Jeff Weiss, Caltrans
510.286.5543

Oakland, Calif., June 30, 2004…The countdown for the voter-approved $1 toll increase on Bay Area bridges has reached its final day. Starting July 1, 2004, the cash price of the toll will rise to $3 for autos on the seven Bay Area toll bridges operated by Caltrans — Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael, San Francisco-Oakland Bay, and San Mateo-Hayward. However, drivers of cars and other two-axle vehicles who pay their tolls electronically with a FasTrak® transponder will receive a temporary $1 discount off the new toll from July 1 through October 31.

This four-month promotional discount has caught the fancy of Bay Area motorists, and FasTrak® sign-ups have soared in the last several days. “On Monday of this week, some 2,100 people enrolled in FasTrak® over the Internet,” said Rod McMillan, manager of Bridge and Highway Operations for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), which in its role as the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) runs the FasTrak® program. “That’s up from around 500 a day at the beginning of last week, and it’s nearly a tenfold increase from the 220 daily sign-ups we were logging as recently as April. Our efforts to publicize FasTrak® seem to be paying off.” (NOTE: The temporary $1 toll discount applies to all FasTrak® account holders, existing as well as new. Current users of FasTrak® do not need to open a new account to get the $1 toll discount that is in effect through October 31st. Also, motorists opening new FasTrak® accounts do not need to have applied before July 1 to qualify for the discount. Those who enroll in FasTrak® during the next four months will receive the $1 discount on all subsequent bridge crossings until the promotion ends on October 31, 2004.)

To make it easy for bridge travelers to sign up for FasTrak®, tolltakers at all the bridges handed out FasTrak® enrollment brochures in the morning and afternoon commute periods beginning the week of June 14. Radio and print advertisements and large FasTrak® banners at bridge toll plazas also helped to stimulate interest in the electronic toll collection program. In addition to the short-term savings available through October, the promotional materials stressed that FasTrak® offers motorists long-term benefits in convenience and reduced congestion at toll booths. “And plans to add more dedicated FasTrak® lanes at the various bridges should make crossings even faster and easier in the future,” McMillan noted.

Motorists can sign up for FasTrak® and get more information about the program by visiting the Bay Area traveler information Web site, <www.511.org>. Applications also can be ordered from the FasTrak‘ customer service center by telephone at 888.725.TRAK (8725). Motorists who open an account will be sent (within 7 to 10 business days) a free FasTrak® transponder, which is generally affixed to a vehicle’s windshield.

The $1 toll increase was approved on March 2, 2004, when by a 57 percent to 43 percent margin, voters in the region passed Regional Measure 2 (RM 2). The $1 toll increase will raise approximately $125 million a year to fund a comprehensive program of projects to relieve congestion and expand transit service in the vicinity of bridge corridors. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, in its role as the Bay Area Toll Authority, will administer the revenues from the toll increase and oversee the package of traffic-relief projects the increase will fund.

Information about RM 2, including a complete list of projects, is available at: <www.mtc.ca.gov/news/legislative_update/rm2.htm>. Motorists with questions about the toll hike can call 510.464.7707.

NOTE: Tolls on the Golden Gate Bridge remain as currently set: $4 for FasTrak® users and $5 for motorists who pay in cash. More information on the Golden Gate Bridge toll structure is available at <www.goldengate.org>.

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