DMV holds for bridge tolls return, along with deep inequities

A story by Noah Baustin in today’s San Francisco Standard examines the post-pandemic return of DMV registration holds for unpaid bridge and FasTrak tolls and fees. Since the fall of 2023, regional Bay Area toll agencies have resumed the practice of sending unpaid tolls, fees and fines to the DMV for the agency to place holds on drivers’ registration renewals. According to the article, the Bay Area Toll Authority and other regional operators filed well over 6 million holds between November 2023 and October 2024.

BayLegal attorney Rachel Hoerger, quoted in the article along with other advocates and clients, points out that the basic inequities of this approach remain largely unchanged since the pandemic-era pause in DMV holds: low-income drivers are far less likely to have access to the FasTrak system and to bank accounts which would facilitate automated invoicing, and more likely to face housing instability that can make delivery of invoices and past due notices inaccurate and unreliable and leave them facing registration holds for debts of which they were never made aware. The economic impact of loss of access to transportation is also disproportionately severe for these drivers.

BayLegal continues to advocate for low-income drivers facing this deeply inequitable system of fines and fees. We hope the SF Standard’s story renews public attention on this issue and the need for better solutions.