Golden Gate Bridge district tolls and fares to rise July 1
Driving across the Golden Gate Bridge will be more expensive starting July 1 and even more so over the next four years.
Along with tolls, Golden Gate Bridge district bus and ferry fares will be going up again on July 1. The district says it will use the new revenue to bolster ferry and bus service and cover its projected multi-million deficits caused by inflation, rising pension and benefits costs and ongoing projects.
“The community sent a strong message through the recent public comment period that they want to support additional transit for the region through increased tolls,” said Priya Clemens, spokeswoman for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. “It’s really a virtuous cycle. The better ferry and bus service we provide, the more customers feel they have an option to ride instead of drive, which keeps congestion down on the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway 101 corridor.”
Tolls will increase from $7 to $7.35 for FasTrak commuters, from $8 to $8.35 for non-FasTrak commuters and from $8 to $8.20 for the new category of “pay-as-you-go” drivers who have registered their license plates with the district in exchange for reduced tolls. Toll increases will continue through 2023, ultimately rising to $8.75 for FasTrak commuters, $9 for “pay-as-you-go” customers and $9.75 for everyone else by July 2023.
The toll hike approved in March is set to raise $100 million to cover a $74 million deficit forecast over the next five years. Board members and district staff said the remaining funds will be used to bolster ferry and bus services with more trips and a $10 million ferry purchase. At the same time, the district is also rearranging its bus routes in Marin and cutting some routes entirely because of low ridership.
The district’s bus and ferry fares will also increase July 1 as a part of a five-year increase approved in 2017 to address a then-$51 million deficit caused by reduced revenues, higher medical benefit and pension costs and the bridge retrofit project.
Ferry riders in Larkspur, Sausalito and Tiburon will see fares increase 25 to 50 cents one way. The fare increase over the five years is expected to generate $11.8 million. Golden Gate Ferry’s Oracle Park special event fares increased by 50 cents on March 1.
The bus fare increase is expected to raise $8.6 million over five years. It will give a fare break to riders paying the highest fares, commuters from Sonoma County and northern Marin, while raising fares on shorter routes into San Francisco.
David Schonbrunn, founder of the San Rafael-based Transportation Solutions Defense and Education Fund, or TRANSDEF, expressed dismay at the district not providing the public the percentage increases for bus fares across the various zones, which he said show a 38.5% increase for southern Marin riders over the five years.
“No justification was offered for why this zone saw an increase more than double that of the other zones. Transit fare increases like these can heavily affect low-income passengers,” he said. “However, Golden Gate’s board has directed staff to develop a 50% fare discount for low-income passengers. That should lessen this concern.”