FasTrak(R) Toll Tags Now Available at Suisun/Fairfield Amtrak Station and Rio Vista Municipal Airport

RIO VISTA, Calif., June 11 /PRNewswire/ -- With a toll increase on the Bay Area's seven state-owned bridges going into effect on July 1, 2010, the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) has expanded its FasTrak® retail distribution network to make it easier than ever for motorists to enjoy a faster commute. Central Solano County residents can now purchase a FasTrak transponder at the Rio Vista Delta Breeze Transit Information Center, located inside the Suisun/Fairfield Amtrak Station at 177 Main Street in Suisun City, and at the Rio Vista Municipal Airport, 3000 Baumann Road in Rio Vista. New customers who pick up a FasTrak toll tag at a participating retailer — including Walgreens, Costco and Safeway stores — from May 15 to July 15 can get up to $10 in free tolls.

"With the toll tags available at the Suisun/Fairfield Amtrak Station and the Rio Vista Municipal Airport, central Solano County bridge commuters have another location where FasTrak enrollment can become more convenient," said Solano County Supervisor and Bay Area Toll Authority member Jim Spering. "And convenience is really what FasTrak is all about. Because FasTrak customers prepay their tolls, they don't have to stop to pay cash at a toll booth. The correct toll is deducted electronically from a customer's prepaid account when they pass through the toll plaza. Having the tags available at the Suisun/Fairfield Amtrak Station and Rio Vista Municipal Airport is especially timely for carpool commuters because they will have to use FasTrak to qualify for the new discounted carpool toll that begins July 1."

The new $2.50 carpool toll, which is half of the new $5 regular toll (and a $3.50 discount off the new $6 peak-period toll on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge), will be assessed for carpool vehicles that cross the region's state-owned toll bridges in designated carpool lanes on weekdays from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

July 1 also will mark the debut of congestion pricing—also known as time-of-day pricing—on the Bay Bridge, which is by far the region's busiest toll bridge. Beginning July 1, auto tolls on the Bay Bridge will vary from $4 during weekday off-peak hours, to $5 all day on Saturdays and Sundays, and to $6 from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. The regular auto toll will rise to $5 from the current $4 at all times on the six other state-owned toll bridges: the Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael and San Mateo-Hayward bridges.

BATA began distributing FasTrak toll tags through Costco warehouses and Safeway stores in 2007 as part of a comprehensive plan to expand and improve electronic toll collection in the Bay Area. Walgreens stores, and the Suisun/Fairfield Amtrak Station and Rio Vista Airport, are new additions to the FasTrak distribution network. Currently, there are more than 900,000 FasTrak account holders in the nine-county region. During peak periods, FasTrak-equipped vehicles account for more than 60 percent of peak-period traffic on Bay Area toll bridges. FasTrak can be used in all lanes at all Bay Area toll plazas.

BATA, which is directed by the same policy board as the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), administers toll revenues from the Bay Area's seven state-owned toll bridges. Toll revenues from the Golden Gate Bridge are administered by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, which joined with BATA to operate a single regional FasTrak® customer service center in San Francisco. MTC is the transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.

For Rio Vista Delta Breeze transit route and schedule information, call (707) 374-2878 or 511 and say "Rio Vista Transit." You can also visit Rio Vista Delta Breeze on the internet at www.deltabreeze.org. Rio Vista Delta Breeze is a service of the City of Rio Vista.

SOURCE Bay Area Toll Authority