Bridge toll increase causing turmoil in the casual carpool community
on December 13, 2010
During the morning rush hour, commuters in cities across the East Bay climb into a stranger’s car. It’s part of casual carpooling, an informal ride-share system to save time and money while crossing the Bay Bridge. But a recent toll increase is causing turmoil in the casual carpool community.
In July, the Bay Area Toll Authority introduced congestion pricing for the Bay Bridge, raising fees from $4 to $6 between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. and imposing a $2.50 toll for carpool drivers. Previously, carpoolers crossed the Bay Bridge for free.
The new carpool toll has users of the casual carpool system struggling to divide up the costs. Soon after the toll increase, internet message boards hosted heated discussions between drivers and riders who use the ride-share system. Neither side is able to agree on what a shared ride across the bridge is worth. Some drivers say riders should contribute $1 each towards the toll, while some riders believe their presence is payment enough—drivers normally pick-up two riders to qualify for the carpool lane, which saves time and up to $3.50 off the toll.
The new toll has also affected traffic on the Bay Bridge. Since September 2009, more drivers are commuting before 5 a.m. and after 10 a.m. to avoid the higher congestion-priced tolls. And carpool traffic has dipped significantly, from a daily average of almost 18,000 cars to fewer than 14,000—a decrease of almost 25 percent.
We talked with commuters about the new toll at casual carpool meet-ups in Rockridge and North Berkeley. Most said that a contribution of $1 per rider is common. But there is still no agreement about who should broach the subject of payment, and payment systems still vary between cities.
4 Comments
Oakland North welcomes comments from our readers, but we ask users to keep all discussion civil and on-topic. Comments post automatically without review from our staff, but we reserve the right to delete material that is libelous, a personal attack, or spam. We request that commenters consistently use the same login name. Comments from the same user posted under multiple aliases may be deleted. Oakland North assumes no liability for comments posted to the site and no endorsement is implied; commenters are solely responsible for their own content.
Oakland North
Oakland North is an online news service produced by students at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and covering Oakland, California. Our goals are to improve local coverage, innovate with digital media, and listen to you–about the issues that concern you and the reporting you’d like to see in your community. Please send news tips to: oaklandnorthstaff@gmail.com.
Brilliant Idea folks now more single drivers driving…
I feel like they just should have made it 3 dollars, make it 1 dollar for everybody. As it is at 2.50 those who are being picked up should still give 1 dollar, yes the driver is getting a discounted toll but they are also paying for gas and most likely parking, those who are being picked up aren’t paying bart/ac transit or their own toll. It says a lot about the rider who doesn’t give the driver 1 dollar.
[…] When is carpooling like a the end of a big group dinner? Which Bay Area commuter will reach for their wallet first when the toll booth/check comes? Video below! (Oakland North) […]
An automobile is an automobile is an automobile.
As a transbay bus rider, I can’t for the life of me think of any good reason why a car with 3 people should be charged less than a car with 1 person.
Carpool incentives encourage driving. Period.
Time to get on the bus, folks.
(PS. If you’ve never tried it, AC Transit is excellent — seriously.)