We first heard back in September of a plan to phase out all humans at the toll plaza at the Golden Gate Bridge, and now a firm, official date has been set: March 27. What does this mean? It means that if at this late date you still don't have a FasTrak transponder, a camera at the toll will snap a photo of your license plate and you'll get a bill in the mail.
You'll be able to make payments online, and you can even pre-pay a toll for a planned trip up to 30 days ahead of time. All payments will be due 21 days after a bill is received, or else you'll be charged a $25 penalty, so it would behoove you to get FasTrak. Also, your toll is only $5 with FasTrak, versus $6 without.
The system has already been in a test phase since January 30.
The move is expected to save the Bridge District a whopping $19 million in salaries and benefits over the next eight years, and the 32 workers who worked at the bridge will need to find other jobs at other bridges, or elsewhere.
Previously: Golden Gate Bridge Moves Closer To Eliminating Unnecessary Human Interaction