Bay Area toll relief coming for low-income families, veterans

Jan. 1—Two new laws will bring Bay Area bridge toll discounts to lower-income families and veterans in 2023.

One measure wipes out penalties incurred between March 20, 2020, and Jan. 1, 2023, for households making less than twice the federal poverty level.

A person living alone making less than $27,180 in 2022 — or twice the federal poverty level of $13,590 — would qualify for relief. For a family of four, households making less than $55,500 in 2022 — or twice the federal poverty level of $27,750 for a daily of four — would qualify.

Drivers who meet the income requirements can begin seeking waivers on July 1.

"We shouldn't be saddling Californians with unrelenting debt just for driving to work," Assemblymember Phil Ting, a San Francisco Democrat who sponsored the waiver bill, said after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed it in September.

The waiver will apply to penalties from the Golden Gate Bridge and all Bay Area state-owned bridges, including the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, officials said.

Drivers seeking waivers will have to contact FasTrak and demonstrate their income. The details on how to do that are still being worked out, said John Goodwin, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

The new law also orders all electronic toll collection companies to publish information on where motorists can pay their invoices in cash. It also allows drivers to buy transponders and load accounts with cash rather than with credit cards or bank information.

The waivers will not exempt drivers from penalties imposed by the state Department of Motor Vehicles related to unpaid tolls.

The other measure makes bridge crossings free for military veterans who have license plates with designations such as disabled veteran, former prisoner of war, Pearl Harbor survivor, Congressional Medal of Honor, Legion of Valor or Purple Heart. It takes effect Jan. 1.

Costly tolls in California could keep veterans from finding jobs or seeking medical care, according to the office of Assemblymember Alex Lee, a San Jose Democrat and sponsor of the veterans' discount bill.

Veterans with the qualifying plates do not need FasTrak accounts to qualify for free crossings, but will need to sign up in the future.

Qualifying veterans who already have FasTrak accounts should put their transponders inside mylar bags when crossing the Bay Area bridges to avoid being charged a toll, transportation officials said. The bags are available on request from FasTrak.

The penalty relief and veterans' discount will not result in a hike in rate for other motorists, said Goodwin and Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz, a spokesperson for the Golden Gate Bridge district.

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