Man Issued FasTrak Violation Fee in Rare FasTrak Glitch

In a rare FasTrak glitch, an Orange County man from Huntington Beach received a FasTrak violation fee for driving on the I-680 in the Bay Area when he was actually attending a class in Fountain Valley, Calif., says SFGate.

According to SFGate, the man is Jim M. who recounted the strange FasTrak violation fee incident to a Saturday columnist for the Orange County Register.

Jim says that he was ticketed for toll evasion on Feb. 7 for driving on the I-680 between Walnut Creek and San Ramon without a valid transponder. However, he was actually attending a class at the senior center located in Orange County, he says.

This happened, he says, due to a technical failure.

The glitch in the ticketing system accounts for Jim’s FasTrak violation fee and likely headache, SFGate explains. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission thoroughly explained the glitch to the OC register columnist who reached out to him.

According to the spokesman, a FasTrak transponder becomes charged once you drive on the Contra Costa Express Lanes. License plate numbers are automatically photographed if a vehicle lacks a transponder and it is automatically sent to the Department of Motor Vehicles that releases the FasTrak violation fee and notice.

However, according to the OC Columnist, “The cameras do fail in rare cases, oftentimes because a license-plate holder obscures a letter or number.” The spokesman for the MTC told Jim to personally give him a call once he has contacted the customer service number and if they don’t settle the discrepancy.

According to the SFGate, the Bay Area does have an issue with residents evading tolls. Drivers have cost the area almost $13 million in 2016 for toll evasion. The SFGate further reports that in 2016, “more than 2.5 million vehicles passed through FasTrak lanes at seven state-owned bridges without license plates or toll tags, and without stopping to pay in cash–a nearly fivefold increase from a decade ago.”

Next year, however, things are said to hopefully change. A new state law for newly purchased vehicles will require placement of a visible and unique temporary license plate to be added to each car.

A new electronic toll road fees class action lawsuit investigation has also been started that allows participation if you were improperly issued a FasTrak violation fee. The class action investigation covers any person using any of the following electronic toll collection systems: iPass, EZPass, SunPass, MDX and FasTrak.

Many drivers have complained of their being improperly issued a FasTrak violation fee. Other complaints have also centered around their being issued fees for failing to maintain adequate account balances, using a toll-by-mail instead of a transponder and using a toll-by-plate.

Complaints are also centered around them being issued thousands of dollars in toll fee violations without their knowledge. In several cases, drivers say they were not being billed for their use of the toll road but of having to pay the fee regardless. Some have even complained about not ever receiving a notice of the toll.

Join a Free Toll Road Fees Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you believe you were assessed an excessive SunPass toll violation, EZPass toll violation, FasTrak violation, MDX violation, iPass violation or other electronic toll violation fee within the past four years, you may be able to take legal action against the company or companies responsible.

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