warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Monthly Fee For Metro FasTrak Transponders On Chopping Block

Paresh Dave |
January 24, 2013 | 12:51 a.m. PST

Executive Director

A southbound view of the 110 Freeway near the northern terminus of the Express Lanes. (Paresh Dave/Neon Tommy)
A southbound view of the 110 Freeway near the northern terminus of the Express Lanes. (Paresh Dave/Neon Tommy)
The prospect of having to pay a monthly fee deterred drivers who need only occasional access to the new Express Lanes on the Interstate 110 in South L.A. from buying the FasTrak devices required to use the new lanes. But for people who work or live in Los Angeles, the fee could be eliminated as early as Thursday.

Carpoolers can use the Express Lanes, which opened in November, for free. Solo drivers can pay a toll of up to $1.40 a mile to use the lanes. However, every vehicle needs a FasTrak transponder to use the lanes. The transponders initially cost as much as $40, though that down payment can be used to pay tolls. People who don't use the Express Lanes at least four times in a month -- whether alone, carpooling or on bus -- are scheduled to be docked $3 starting this spring.

Responding to complaints, Los Angeles County Transportation Authority Boardmember Zev Yaroslavsky proposed eliminating the impending fee. Yaroslavsky's office did not respond to two requests to share the complaints or offer further comment.

Metro staff responded to the proposal by saying the fee covered the cost of having a customer service center and paying for the technology needed to keep track of all the accounts. Metro staff said that people from counties that charge monthly fees, such as San Diego, would start ordering their devices from Metro. That would add to Metro's burden. So now the proposal is to eliminate the fee only for people with ties to L.A. and to close accounts after six months of inactivity.

Metro staff failed to note some other possible options: phasing in the monthly fee, offering users to pay more upfront or partnering with other agencies.

The state's first Express Lanes system, on the State Route 91 in Orange County, didn't have fees for the first 18 months, said former project manager Greg Hulsizer. When the system did start charging minimum-use fees, it provided an option for FasTrak buyers to simply pay a higher price upfront and avoid monthly fees.

In the Bay Area, FasTrak transponders don't come with a monthly fee because the region has so many transponders in play that the revenues are enough to easily cover all costs. There's hope that someday Orange County, Los Angeles County, San Diego County and San Bernardino County could partner to achieve a similar economy of scale in Southern California.

"You have to figure out how to make the network best for the customer," said Hulsizer, now a transportation consultant. "Customers don't know nor do they care if they are on an Orange County toll road or a Metro toll road. It's like a Visa credit card. You expect it to work anywhere."

The transponders already work elsewhere in the state, so it makes sense to install similar pricing schemes and consolidate customer service operations.

The Southern California Association of Government's transportation finance manager Annie Nam said the concept of joint operations of Express Lanes will be discussed starting this spring. Figuring out the details could take up to two years.

The Express Lanes on the 110 are part of a year-long federally funded experiment. Metro will decide next spring whether to keep them in service or return to normal carpool lanes.

Hundreds of miles of additional Express Lanes are proposed or planned for across the state. It's not unthinkable that at some point every car in California could come with a FasTrak device as part of the Department of Motor Vehicles license registration process.

Like reporter Paresh Dave on Facebook, follow him on Twitter, circle him on Google+ or send him an e-mail.



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.