SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — New Year, new toll prices on the Bay Area’s seven state bridges.
“It’s kind of the price you have to pay to live in the Bay,” said Santa Rosa resident Patrick Lam.
Starting January 1, tolls for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael and San Mateo-Hayward bridges will increase by $.50.
“I cross the Bay Bridge and the Richmond Bridge, so sometimes I get hit with three tolls in one day,” Lam said.
Car tolls will increase from $8 to $8.50, and they won’t stop there.
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“Starting this year it will be $0.50, and then there will be $0.50 increases over the next four years as well, and then it should level off,” said Rebecca Long, director of legislative and public affairs at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is the government agency responsible for these bridges. It is said that since 2010 there has not been a price increase that has directly benefited the repair of the bridges.
“They need deck improvements, step repairs and cable reinforcement. It’s a $2.3 billion capital improvement plan,” Long said.
According to MTC, the Bay Area’s seven toll bridges carry approximately 320,000 toll-paying (one-way) trips per day. About a third of those are on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (35%). Other bridges have much lower volumes in this order:
- Carquinez (15%)
- Benicia-Martinez (15%)
- San Mateo–Hayward (13%)
- Richmond–San Rafael (11%)
- Dumbarton (8%)
- Antioch (2%)
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The Golden Gate Bridge is not government-owned, so tolls will not go up on January 1. The $0.50 toll increases will take place in July 2026, part of a five-year program, and will continue through 2028.
Average BART fares will also increase by $0.30 on the first day of 2026.
The fare increase is expected to generate $15.6 million in 2026 and help reduce BART’s budget deficit, which is expected to reach $376 million in 2027.
“Honestly, it’s really not fun, and then making it more expensive. No, it’s not good,” said Michaela MacRostie, a San Francisco resident.
In 2025, SFMTA implemented two Muni fare increases, raising the standard Clipper fare cost from $2.50 to $2.75 and again to $2.85.
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In a statement, SFMTA said:
“Muni is a lifeline for half a million people every day. While we face a budget deficit of more than $300 million in July 2026 and inflation impacts goods and services everywhere, we have managed to keep our rates as low as possible so Muni can remain strong for our customers. We continue to offer several discounts for low-income earners, free Muni for youth and free New Year’s Eve service tonight to keep our roads safe during San Francisco celebrations.”
“It sucks, but you have to deal with it or you leave,” Lam said.
Feather light: “What are you planning to do?”
‘Oh, I’ll stay where I am. It is what it is,” Lam said.
By 2030, vehicle tolls on the state’s seven bridges will increase to $10.50.
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