Originally Posted by
KimchiExpress
Yes, this happened to me also. I think I received a violation for the offense of driving in the car pool lane without a Fastrak device or something. And in California, you cannot pay your toll online if the car is a rental. So I was once charged a big fee for a $2 toll. Cali is one big corrupt place!
I know this is somewhat just semantics, but it's important semantics...
You do NOT need a Fastrak (of any form) to drive in a "car pool lane". Car pool lanes just need you to have the right number of people in the car if you're within the set hours (which in SoCal is frequently all day. In NorCal is more normally just weekday morning and afternoon peak hours)
You DO need a Fastrak (of any form) to drive in an ExpressLane. If you have a standard Fastrak then you will be charged to use the ExpressLane, regardless of how many people are in your car. If you have a Fastrak Flex, AND you have sufficient people in the car to meet the carpool requirement, then you can set the Fastrak Flex to the number of people in the car and it is free.
(Some ExpressLanes can be free during quiet periods, in which case the signs will show that and anyone can use them, with or without a Fastrak and you will not be charged regardless)
You can't pay the tolls online on the basis that using the ExpressLane is optional. In situations where there is no option but to pay the toll (which is only the Golden Gate Bridge as far as I'm aware) you can pay online.