Originally Posted by
docbert
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.
One more exception, the 91 Express Lanes (including the new expansion) DO NOT support the Fastrak Flex occupancy choice. You must have a Fastrak (of any kind), but you still must use the 3+ designated lane with the Fastrak device to get charged the discounted (or free) rate. Yes, it really is a mess since San Diego as mentioned allows HOV Express Lane use without any Fastrak (in fact, they tell you to put the Fastrak in the special bag to avoid getting charged when you are carpooling).
Further, as of 2019, no new car in California can be sold without paper license plates attached. So, all of those people using the toll roads without a visible license plate under the excuse of purchasing a new vehicle should go away soon. There is still this weird concept of people not using their plates either (some sort of fake new car feeling), but that has been against the law for some time.