oops! accidental carpool violation?

[busyrosy]

Yesterday, I tried driving on the carpool lane to drive from East bay (emeryville side) to San Francisco with my brand new HOV stickers. I got on 80 W, and took the carpool lane, on to the carpool ramp. Just before entering the bridge, I realized that I was on a lane that bypasses the fasttrak/toll station.

So I ended up going over the bridge without paying the toll. My fast trak transponder didn't beep, so I know I wasn't charged.

I thought I still had to pay the toll even as I'm allowed on the carpool lane. So.. what happened? Am I actually allowed to go on the bay bridge without the toll, or did I do something wrong?

I just hope I don't find a $300 ticket in my mailbox... or $271 as they say. Yuck!

[darelldd]

Fear not.

If you have a valid transponder, and valid stickers, and you're in the HOV lane legally at the correct times (whew!) then there is no violation if your transponder was not read. That's a problem on THEIR end. If they took a picture, they'll match it up with your license plate and add it to your transponder bill as if you were dinged at the bridge.

But in reality what I've found is that the transponders are NOT being read on the Bay Bridge, and there is no bill sent. Go figure. So far I haven't complained.

[busyrosy]

whew! Thanks darell!

[Tadashi]

I am not certain but my Uncle told me that you are not charged going one way but will be going the other. I think that was intended because he thought he read it somewhere. Being technically challenged he probably read it in a newspaper or magazine.

[foo]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tadashi @ Jun 15 2006, 06:50 PM) [snapback]271954[/snapback]</div>

I am not certain but my Uncle told me that you are not charged going one way but will be going the other. I think that was intended because he thought he read it somewhere. Being technically challenged he probably read it in a newspaper or magazine.
[/b]

There are no transponder readers going Eastbound on the Bay Bridge, so no chance of "getting ya on the way back."

Previous poster is right: they photograph your license plates on the way through, and if the transponder doesn't go off for any reason they're supposed to use the plates to match up to your account and bill you.

However, I can see why they aren't (yet), if it's true they aren't:

* In the regular Fastrak lanes, all cars need to be billed if the transponder doesn't go off. Theoretically most of the cars going through this lane will have license plates that match up to ones in the database.

* In the HOV lane, Fastrak is not required for most vehicles because they're actual carpools. Hybrids are the exception, not the rule. So most of the cars going through the carpool lane will NOT match up to the ones in the database.. making it a chore to cull through and identify hybrids, get the plates, match them up, and bill them.

Makes you wonder how many hybrids use the Bay Bridge HOV lane anyway. It's gotta be such a small percentage of overall Bay Bridge traffic that missing a few tolls here and there probably doesn't even register.

--foo

[rufaro]

I don't know how it works on the Bay Bridge, but on the Golden Gate my son was using one of our (non-hybrid) transponders in a car we had not yet registered with FasTrak. We got a violation notice in the mail and all we had to do was send it back saying it was, indeed a car registered to us. Other times (on the Richmond Bridge as well as the GG), our transponders, for whatever reason, have not registered, but, nonetheless, when we get our quarterly (or whatever) statement from them, we see the uses recorded/charged for. It is my understanding that you are supposed to use the mylar bag for times you are entitled NOT to pay the toll, and the only time a hybrid qualifies for THAT eventuality is when there is an appropriate number of people in the car. If, however, should happen to get a violation notice--fear not! As noted above, they can be reasonable, believe it or not--just make a copy of your handy dandy little card they sent you and send it back to 'em. You will NOT have to pay $271! I must say, though, that I am getting a bit overconfident about how all this works. I do not yet have my "official" plates from DMV, but I gave them the number of my disabled plates, that are registered to me (which I took off of my old car), but not yet registered to the Prius' VIN (just to me PERSONALLY). When DMV gets around to sending my other plates, I just have to go to AAA and turn them in and fill out yet another form to get the car and the DP plates registered to each other. In the meantime, the card has the right plate # (and I stick the plates on the dash and the cargo cover when I want to park in a DP space--or, more usually, on a street with otherwise time-limited parking). I don't know if DMV just took my word for it when I gave them the plate number or if they are bright enough to have looked at the matching name on the registration and the plates and come to a surprisingly correct conclusion. I do know that if there is a problem and you go through a regular FasTrak lane and your plate DOESN"t match--they WILL get backk to you to clarify the situation.

[SCDrJ]

Down here in SoCal, if you get a FasTrakphoto toll ticket and have the valid transponders, you will generally be able to call up and get the fine waived and the toll charged as normal to your account. They try to match up the plate to their database but even if not (ie: rental car) they will still help you out - at least here.

[tmorrowus]

You do have to keep an eye on them. My transponder fails to get properly read about 10% of the time. After I changed license plates they would charge me fines whenever the transponder didn't get propertly read. The funny thing is they put those charges right on the monthly statement with the rest of my transponder usage, so clearly they knew it was the same account and vehicle. Why I had to call them and say "hey that was me, don't fine me please" everytime is beyond me.