This year, Orange County’s toll roads – the 73, 133, 241 and 261 – have gone through probably the biggest changes since the pay booths went dark in 2014.
Accountholders have been receiving a bandage-sized FasTrak sticker in the mail to replace their ubiquitous hard-cased transponders. Discounts have changed. And every car now must sport a license plate with unique numbers.
Getting a bit lost? Here’s what to know about driving on Orange County’s toll roads:
Q: How are tolls charged?
As drivers pass toll points or get on a ramp entering or exiting the toll road, an electronic reader scans for a transponder and charges the associated account. If you don’t have a transponder, a camera will take a photo of your car’s license plate and wait for you to pay online. Since 2014, there have been no attendants posted in toll booths to take payments.
Rates vary based on when you are driving, how many sets of axles your car has and if you qualify for a discount. Refer to TCA’s rate card, available on the agency’s website, to figure out how much you will be paying in tolls.
Contrary to the 91 Express Lanes or Los Angeles County toll lanes, there is no carpool discount when driving the 73, 133, 241 or 261. However, those with FasTrak transponders get a $1-per-toll discount if they incur at least $40 a month in tolls on The Toll Roads. Also, there is no longer a monthly maintenance fee charged to FasTrak accounts.
Reminder: Beginning this year, state law requires new cars to sport temporary paper license plates.
Q: How do you pay your tolls?
If you haven’t already, you can sign up for a FasTrak account on the TCA’s website. The account comes with a free sticker transponder for your car – more on that later.
There are three types of FasTrak accounts: prepaid, charge and invoice. For prepaid accounts, drivers can put money into the account before driving on the toll roads; the account is set up to reload automatically once it dips below a threshold.
For charge accounts, credit cards are deducted every time you incur a toll. For an invoice, drivers receive bills every month.
The $1-per-toll discount is only for those with prepaid FasTrak accounts. Also, there is a $2 monthly fee for those wanting invoices.
Don’t have a FasTrak account? Visit The Toll Roads smartphone app or website to pay your toll within five days of driving The Toll Roads – they know you from that photo taken of your license plate. The website can automatically calculate the toll for you. If you don’t trust technology, you can pay at the TCA’s customer service center at 125 Pacifica, Suite 120, Irvine. The center is open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays.
Q: What happens if you don’t pay your toll?
If you don’t have a transponder or if your FasTrak account doesn’t have sufficient funds, you have to pay your toll within five days of driving the roads. If you don’t, you will receive a violation notice in the mail, which means you will have to pay a fine of $57.50, plus the original toll. The fine is waived for first-time violators.
If you don’t respond within 30 days of the notice being sent, the fine increases to $100 and your vehicle registration may be put on hold.
Q: What’s the deal with those sticker transponders?
The TCA is sending new sticker transponders to its accountholders at the state’s request – to help advance plans for having devices work nationwide – and to save on the cost of buying the hard-case version previously used. That means your sticker transponder should work on toll roads you encounter elsewhere in the state.
Once received, put your sticker transponder in one of three spots on your front windshield: lower-left or lower-right corner, or behind a rear-view mirror.
Reminder: You can’t move your sticker transponder once it is placed on your car, doing so will render it unusable. If you want to get more transponders, visit the customer service center or log into your account on the TCA’s website and select “Transponders.” They are free.
Q: What about the hard-case transponders?
You should keep your old transponder if you take advantage of discounted carpool rides on the 91 Express Lanes, 15 Express Lanes or Metro Express Lanes on the 110 and 10 freeways in Los Angeles County.
The current version of the sticker transponder doesn’t have a switch to indicate whether you are driving solo or as a carpool.
If you need a new hard-case transponder, you can get it for $20 by logging into your account on the TCA’s website and selecting “Transponders.”
If you don’t need your existing hard-case transponder, you can dispose of it like you would throw away a lithium battery.
And no, you won’t be charged twice if you have both a hard-case and a sticker transponder on your car.
By the way, drivers on the 91 Express Lanes will start getting their own sticker transponders in late December or early January, Orange County Transportation Authority spokesman Eric Carpenter said in an e-mail. Those sticker transponders also won’t have the switch, so keep the hard-case if you carpool on the 91 Express Lanes.
Q: What if you are driving a rental car or a motorcycle?
If you have a hard-case transponder, put the transponder on your rental car and also add the vehicle’s license plate number to your account for the period you are driving the car.
If you have a sticker transponder, don’t remove it. Just add your rental car’s license plate number to your account for the period you are driving the car. Tolls will be collected through the cameras reading your rental car’s license plate.
A sticker transponder for a motorcycle can be requested by calling the TCA’s customer service call center at 949-727-4800.
