MTC Approves $4M Contract To Transition Bay Area Toward Cashless Tolls
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) -- The Metropolitan Transportation Commission unanimously approved a $4 million contract Wednesday for consultation services to help switch the Bay Area to an all electronic toll future.
With the move, toll takers and toll plazas will soon be a thing of the past with the vision of "open road toll taking."
Drivers will no longer have to squeeze through 1930's toll booths. Commuters like Diana Pietila like that idea. "It's usually crowded on the cash side, to be honest, so it might speed things up," she said.
Last December, the Bay Area Toll Authority voted to move ahead with all electronic tolling.
A worry is that with toll takers no longer being necessary, many people will be out of work. It's already happened on the Golden Gate Bridge and that company will help develop a timeline on when the switch will happen at the other Bay Area bridges.
The project could take up to five years. Drivers will either pay by FasTrak or they'll billed by mail. Drivers will all still pay, but last minute digging for money in the cup holder to pay the toll will be a thing of the past.
"I hate that you can't pay with a card. Sometimes I will forget cash and I'm, like, stuck there. So this might be easier," said Misha Daniels.