[eslaught]

If you drive in the FasTrak lanes without an account you pay the fee + $10 surcharge (for a first time violation), and it goes up on the second violation:

https://www.bayareafastrak.org/en/help/invoices-and-penaltie...

I'm having a hard time finding a citation but according to Google's AI summary if the second violation is unpaid they put a hold on your DMV registration, and the fine itself can be sent to a collection agency.

I agree empirically I see people driving through the lane without a tag (i.e., no number shows up in the overhead display), but maybe these are people with FasTrak accounts being lazy?

[calmworm]

> but according to Google's AI summary

Rarely a good citation. No pun intended.

[Rebelgecko]

Or people who drive over the cones right before the RFID reader

Or lie and set the transponder to 3 people

Or don't have license plates so can't be identified

[b112]

One annoying thing is I've tried to pay, but can't.

I spend about four to five months per year in the Bay Area, but have Canadian license plates. The website doesn't even let you enter a Canadian plate, or a foreign plate.

So I bought one of the transponders at Walgreens, and just leave it in the glove box because it has 20 bucks or something when you buy it.

But I can't check its status, don't know how much is left on it, have no idea what I'm paying, really sucks.

[ainka-ainka]

Go to https://www.bayareafastrak.org/en/home/index.shtml, make an account and link your tag using it's serial number. Hopefully you'll get the information you're looking for there.

[the_svd_doctor]

Some people just set it to 3+...