Rental Vehicles

Drivers using a rental vehicle have several options for paying tolls at Bay Area bridges and in express lanes.

Methods of Toll Payment

There are several options when paying tolls for a rented vehicle: using the rental company’s toll payment plan, using your own FasTrak toll tag while in the rental car and setting up a Short-Term License Plate Account.

Rental Company Plans

Most rental companies offer a toll payment service customers can opt in to. These plans can be used to pay bridge tolls, but may not cover express lane tolls since a valid FasTrak toll tag is required to drive in Bay Area Express Lanes. These services charge a service fee, as agreed upon in your rental agreement, in addition to any tolls incurred.

The toll payment services include Pass24, TollPass, e-Toll and PlatePass. They enable rental car customers to automatically pay tolls on Bay Area toll bridges and, in some cases, express lane.

To find a list of participating rental car agencies and for more information about each service:

PlatePass is the only rental agency toll payment service that can be used to pay tolls in Bay Area Express Lanes.

Pay with FasTrak

If you are using a rental vehicle and have an existing FasTrak account and toll tag, you can use your account to pay tolls. Just follow these steps:

  1. Log in to your account and add the license plate number of the rental vehicle to your Registered Vehicles list.
  2. Set the START and END dates to reflect the period you will be using the rental vehicle.
  3. Mount the toll tag to the windshield of your rental vehicle.

Tolls will be charged to your account each time your rental vehicle crosses a toll bridge or drives in an express lane during this period.

Short-Term License Plate Account

To use Bay Area bridges without a FasTrak toll tag or a service through your rental car company, you can set up a Short-Term License Plate Account. The account can be used to pay tolls for Bay Area bridge crossings incurred 48 hours before the account was set up, or future trips up to 30 days in advance. Short-Term License Plate Accounts can be set up online. These accounts cannot be used to pay tolls for Bay Area Express Lanes or receive discounts on toll bridges.

Violations & Fees

If you drive across a toll bridge in a rental vehicle without setting up a payment account through your rental agency or with FasTrak, the rental company will receive an invoice that lists any tolls due, and will process the charges per the terms of the rental agreement.

If you drive in an express lane without a FasTrak toll tag or a plan through your rental agency, you will be charged the toll plus penalties. The violation notice will be sent to you at the address you have on file with the rental car agency.

Notices and Penalties for Bridges and Express Lanes

State-Owned Bridges (Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael, San Francisco-Oakland, San Mateo-Hayward)

  • Initial Toll Invoice: Toll amount only (within 21 days of receipt)
  • First Toll Violation Notice Issued: Toll + $5 penalty per crossing
  • Second Toll Violation Notice Issued: Toll + $15 penalty per crossing

Golden Gate Bridge

  • Initial Toll Invoice: Toll amount only (within 21 days of receipt)
  • First Toll Violation Notice Issued: Toll + $25 penalty per crossing
  • Second Toll Violation Notice Issued: Toll + $70 penalty per crossing. If the toll is paid within 15 days, the penalty will be reduced to $25

Express Lanes

  • First Toll Violation Notice Issued: Toll + $10 penalty due (within 21 days of receipt)
  • Second Toll Violation Notice Issued: Toll + $30 penalty. If the toll is paid within 15 days, the penalty will be reduced to $10.

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