San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge toll fee to increase

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The cost of driving across the Golden Gate Bridge will go up Monday.

FasTrak, carpool and pay-by-plate drivers will all have to pay the new toll fee.

It's becoming part of the July 4th tradition. This is the fourth year in a row the Golden Gate Bridge toll has increased by $.25. A fifth increase is coming next year. The board decided on these toll hikes to help with the bridge's budget deficit.

The Bridge District says it needs the money for maintenance and operation.

The board passed this increase three years ago and says it will help with a five-year budget shortfall.

So, if you have a FasTrak your toll will go up to $6.75. If you don't have a FasTrak, your toll jumps to $7.75.

The increases have customers wondering what they are paying for. "I think it's excessive due to fact that they are not really doing anything that's showing what they are using it for. I mean the bridge is still red and they have the moveable barrier," Oakland resident Michon Blount said.

Here is how the increase will add up. Officials said nearly 112,000 vehicles cross the bridge every day, so if you add 25 cents to each car, they'll make an extra $28,000 a day, which will be over $10 million a year.