Planning to drive on Bay Area freeways, bridges? This new app lets you pay in advance
A new app helps drivers pay tolls on Bay Area bridges, helpful news for occasional travelers from the Modesto area.
The service from a company called Transurban is part of the shift away from cash tolls on the eight bridges. It comes with an 85 cent surcharge per toll.
The app also can pay tolls on express lanes, including those on Interstates 580, 680 and 880 and state Highway 237.
The app is called GoToll. Drivers can download it on their smart phones from the Apple App Store or Google Play. They then register their license plate number and a credit card, which is billed when each toll is charged.
The Golden Gate Bridge stopped taking cash tolls in 2013. The other seven bridges went cashless in January.
Electronic devices supplanted the human toll-takers. One option is FasTrak, which reads tags that drivers purchase in advance. They also can opt to be billed later based on license plate photos at the toll booths.
The app creator said it has the advantage of not having to be preloaded in advance of a trip. Drivers also do not have to wait for their FasTrak tags to arrive. When on the road, the app detects your phone’s GPS and your license plate when entering a toll lane.
The app can be used on 22 bridges and express lanes around California. The Bay Area bridges in addition to the Golden Gate are:
- San Francisco-Oakland
- San Mateo-Hayward
- Dumbarton
- Richmond-San Rafael
- Carquinez
- Benicia-Martinez
- Antioch
Some of the bridges and express lanes are key routes for the tens of thousands of people who commute from the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
This story was originally published July 3, 2021 at 6:44 AM.
