‘Holding my car hostage’: Bay Area drivers face DMV registration holds over traffic debts
Brenda Angulo’s license plate has been pinging off the Bay Area’s growing network of electronic toll transponders — into a colossal $30,000 bill.
There were dozens of bridge tolls, and a flurry of express lane fees. For the past three years, they went unpaid as invoices filled Angulo’s mailbox.
But when Angulo went to renew her DMV vehicle registration this year, she was floored by the sticker shock. A single 50-cent express lane fee from last April would now cost her $73.50 with penalties — an increase of 14,700%. And if she wanted to keep her Mazda on the road, she also would have to fork over $2,523, which included her annual registration fees and a portion of her unpaid tolls.
The total Angulo owed to multiple express lane and bridge toll agencies was far worse, climbing to over $30,000 made up mostly of late payment fees and other fines, tacked on to her original charges of about $3,000.
“I don’t have this money. I’m paying tuition, borrowing money from my family, and behind on bills,” said Angulo, a single mother who is juggling her kids’ schooling and sports practices as she studies to become a nurse. “How am I going to use my car, how am I going to take my kids to school without getting stopped and getting another ticket?”
Angulo’s debt underscores a complicated payment system for the growing network of Bay Area express lanes, which charge variable fees depending on the time of day and the length of a driver’s commute. Those lanes can easily whisk cars past traffic jams at a reasonable cost. But they can also lead to financial devastation for those who ignore — or don’t appreciate — how overdue toll debts can explode with late fees.
Unpaid toll debts are surging since the Bay Area has eliminated cash payments on bridges and unfurled a vast web of express lanes.
Last June, the Bay Area Toll Authority, which oversees the seven state-owned bridges, said it would place over 550,000 drivers’ annual vehicle registration on hold over unsettled debts – with the bulk of registration holds starting this July. The decision ended a pandemic era of lax enforcement and started a renewed crackdown as the toll authority uses DMV holds to recoup tens of millions of dollars in tolls and even more in fines and fees.
For all the eye-popping bills, many debt-ridden drivers are now getting a break. The toll authority, along with the county agencies that own express lanes, has responded to calls from advocates saying their tolling system unleashed a wave of financial harm. All the agencies have reduced penalties from up to $70 per violation to a maximum of $15 on every bridge except Golden Gate and $30 across express lanes.
State legislation approved last year also required all tolling agencies to offer payment plans. The Bay Area will give people making $29,160 or less – 200% of the federal poverty level – a monthly payment option. However, that income threshold is less than a full-time minimum wage salary in California so only a limited number of people will receive help.
“DMV holds are very important. That is oftentimes the one thing that gets people to actually pay their tolls,” said Rebecca Long, a legislative director at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, a regional transit body that runs toll bridges and coordinates express lanes. “We’re trying to balance helping motorists who would have a difficult time paying, with ensuring we have sufficient revenue.”
Still, advocates who work with indebted drivers say Angulo’s situation is becoming increasingly common. They cite confusing rules, instances where the FasTrak payment apparatus sends invoices to the wrong address, and a process that can levy massive penalties without sufficient notice. In one case, a Southern California man was billed for dozens of bridge toll violations for a car he sold 11 years earlier, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
“I’ve been hearing a lot from services providers and attorneys about people struggling with these huge debts that they can’t pay,” said Jacob Denney, who studies economic justice issues for the Bay Area think tank SPUR. His research breaking down bridge toll violations by ZIP code showed that violations disproportionately impacted drivers from low-income and racially diverse groups.
“There are horror stories and there are more of them coming,” he said.
But Denney also acknowledged that some of the worst toll violators might be simply disregarding the payment system, especially as they enter a deepening cycle of poverty and debt. “It’s very easy for people to miss signs and not understand the lanes,” said Denney. For others, it’s a case of, “Well, I’m already screwed so who cares?”
Cathy B. Glenn, an academic who currently works as a ride-share driver, has been battling FasTrak for weeks over express lane debts that she says are incorrect. “The process is fractured, the policies are opaque, and they’re secretive,” she said.
Glenn racked up $344.70 on express lane and bridge tolls and another $3,925.00 in fines, most of which she says is contradicted by trip tracking data she has with Uber and Lyft.
During a dispute process, the agency dropped 100 violations from Glenn’s account because the notices were sent to an old address. The agency waived most of her fines and is looking to settle for $177.05, a number that Glenn is also fighting.
“If I paid that, they’re basically stealing my money while they’re holding my car hostage,” said Glenn.
The toll debt crackdown, however, is expected to continue in full force. Long, of the MTC, said the bulk of registration holds will be sent to the DMV in July once a payment plan becomes available. In March, the authority extended its contract with a group of debt collection companies led by Milwaukee-based Law Enforcement, LLC, which charges a 25% commission on every dollar it collects.
This week Angulo, the Hayward mom, received some good news. The toll authority agreed to remove her vehicle’s registration hold if she paid $500, waive her fines, and enter her into a payment plan for the remaining debt, according to her attorney Rachel Hoerger, with the non-profit law group Bay Area Legal Aid.
But Hoerger said Angulo’s settlement is not a sign of the toll authority’s generosity. The attorney had to use her connections to set up a direct channel of communication with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission that bypassed the customer service line available to regular drivers.
“It’s a black hole,” said Hoerger.
Tips to avoid FasTrak late fees and DMV holds:
- Sign up for FasTrak account and affix a toll tag transponder to the vehicle. For divers without an account, toll notices will be sent to the address on file with the DMV often leading to mixups for people that have moved recently. Drivers must have a FasTrak responder to use express lanes.
- If you face a DMV hold, contact customer service and ask to file a dispute. FasTrak may waive some fines and penalties.
- For income-qualified candidates, Bay Area Legal Aid can help drivers navigate the DMV hold process.