New system leaves one less loophole for toll-skippers
By: Mike Aldax
Examiner Staff Writer
July 7, 2009
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| Not so fast: Drivers in rental cars who zip through the FasTrak lanes on the Golden Gate Bridge and other Bay Area spans may soon have a harder time getting away with it. (Examiner file photo) |
SAN FRANCISCO — A crackdown on rental car drivers who zoom across Bay Area bridges without paying the toll is gaining speed.
Each year there are more than 120,000 instances of rental-car drivers slipping through FasTrak toll booths on regional bridges without minding the crossing fee, according to the Bay Area Toll Authority, which oversees FasTrak services on eight regional bridges, including the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge.
Such instances account for 4 percent of all toll violations, the toll authority said.
Tracking down and citing those who owe tolls has typically involved a lot of work. FasTrak representatives are tasked with retrieving the violator’s name from the rental-car company and then sending notices to the drivers requesting they pay the toll plus a $25 fine. Citations increase to $70 if the payment is not received before a second notice is sent.
Bridge officials say they typically receive enough cash from citations from all drivers to cover the lost tolls. However, not all violators are found — presumably those visiting from out-of-state or other countries — and there are various costs associated with issuing citations to those who are caught, the Toll Authority said.
Those costs include a significant amount of labor hours and tens of thousands of dollars per year in postage to send notices of fines, said John Goodwin, spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
The method for such toll collections is about to become more efficient, Goodwin said. At a time when bridge tolls are increasing to cover a decrease in revenue, bridge officials are now outsourcing toll collections from rental-car violators to private companies that specialize in the work, he said.
These companies, which contract with rental companies and the toll authority, collect the images of license plates from toll violators to figure out which ones are rented cars. Once that is determined, the person who had the car at the time of the violation is billed for the toll and a small fee.
“They are in a much better position to collect the tolls ... because they already have the customers’ credit cards,” Goodwin said.
Under such a plan, rental-car drivers who roll past the booths without paying would not be slapped with the $25 fine, just the retroactively applied toll and the fee.
In January, the toll authority entered into a contract with PlatePass LLC for such services. That company tracks rental cars owned by Avis, Budget and Hertz. The company also allows renters to pay a small charge up front — plus any tolls — in order to pass through FasTrak-enabled toll gates without stopping to pay.
On Wednesday, the toll authority expects to receive MTC approval for deals with two other private companies that contract with National, Alamo, Enterprise, Dollar and Thrifty rental brands.
The contracts come at no extra cost to the Toll Authority, Goodwin said. Meanwhile, officials are considering increasing the toll next year on seven state-owned bridges, excluding the Golden Gate Bridge, from $4 to $5 in reaction to a decline in revenue.
“We want to tighten the toll collection in every way possible,” Goodwin said. “This is a very small hole in the net, but we want to sew it up nonetheless.”
The cost of toll violators
Drivers who skip toll booths while in rental cars account for 4 percent of violations.
120,000
Rental car toll violations per year on eight Bay Area bridges
$50,000
Estimated annual mailing costs to send citations to all drivers who evade bridge tolls in rental vehicles
$25
Cost of toll evasion citation, excluding toll fee
$70
Cost of citation if not paid upon second notice, excluding toll fee
Source: Metropolitan Transportation Commission
maldax@sfexaminer.com
