FasTrak
Categories: Local Services, Transportation [Edit]
Neighborhood: Embarcadero475 The Embarcadero
(at Washington St)
San Francisco, CA 94111 (415) 486-8655
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Sat 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
10 reviews
Neighborhood: SOMA
"Professional and courteous. The fare includes all fees and gratuity so there are no hidden "surprises" when you're hit with the bill. …" read more »
207 Reviews for FasTrak
Efficient when it works....... I could hold my transponder on my roof as if I were Kojak after shoving that last bit of doughnut into my mouth. AND THE THING STILL WOULDN'T WORK!!!!!!!
Especially fun when you are in a rental car eeking through the fastrak lane at a blistering 2.4 mph only to notice that the transponder didn't register. AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH FUUUUDDDDDGGGGEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah......Ralphie from the Christmas Story.
I LOVE FASTRAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First, a story.... I grew up in Berkeley, the child of liberal professionals who would have been hippies but are both too controlling and neurotic. Still, mellow household. My Mom NEVER carried cash- she wrote checks. Going to the store? She'd hand you a check- and demand a receipt when you got home. She wrote checks at Monterey Market, at Safeway, at Peet's coffee.... and, when we crossed the Bay Bridge- which meant we would have to pull off of the toll plaza in our 1976 green Volvo station wagon, go into the administrative offices and wait while my mother wrote a check... for a dollar. I think this affected me. Fast forward twenty five years...
I hardly even commute that often... we got fastrak when my husband worked in Marin... he is now (like myself) in the East Bay.... BUT, for the few times we cross a bridge, for the time my sister borrowed my car to go to Sonoma, for trips to Tahoe.... what a revelation!!!! No cash, no teller, no stop. I hate to preach, but GET WITH THE NEW MILLENIUM!
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Between FasTrak, and my TransLink, my life has become ever so simple.
Whether I am on the bus, or in my car, I know longer need to keep change around my pockets, and it takes me a quarter of the time waiting in lines, or lanes with my hi-tec pals.
It makes sense for everyone to have no matter how often, or infrequent you will use them. If everyone had these, the bay area would be moving a WHOLE LOT FASTER!!
FastTrak- A device that is portable for your car that automatically deducts funds for bridge, and other tolled areas so you do not have to stop, and pay cash for them. The system also saves you money off of the tolls, usually by a dollar or more! www.bayareafastrak.org/
Translink- A card with an electronic chip built in so that you can "tag" on to buses, or ferry's without paying, and using cash. It also serves as a transfer that lasts longer than the standard paper, and it also SAVES A TON OF MONEY from your bus, and ferry fees. Nearly $10 off a round-trip ticket on the Golden Gate Ferry from Sausalito to the City!! This system can be filled up in amounts as you would like, or you may hook it up to your bank account, and have the funds electronically transferred. THIS CARD HAS BECOME A PART OF MY DAILY LIFE!
If you don't have FasTrak you will be left behind. You will lose money. Your kids will lose respect for you, if they haven't already. Going through toll booths at 40mph is a satisfying thing, every time. You will be loved and accepted.
Do it. Do it now.
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Reliving my bad ass teenage years tearing down I-95 from Milwaukee to Chicago drunk and half-naked in my best friend's glitter gold 1997 Chevy Cavalier running Illinois toll booths.
Except without breaking the law. And with more clothes on. And a lower blood alcohol level. And with a giant furrow in my brow thanks to that hard-living, I-don't-give-a-fuck lifestyle.
VIP, motherfucker, VIP. You don't know me!
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i had a problem when i switched vehicles and switched credit cards. the pass didn't register at the toolgates. a phone call to the 888 number took care of everything. they rock!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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04/26/2008
well. i got one finally. but used it only once or twice a month. bought one when costco offered some… Read more »
Anyone who doesn't have one should get one. This thing is a true lifesaver and makes traveling such a convenience. No more worrying about making sure you have $$ in hand when you get to the toll booth. I always had to make sure to have $$ before I got on the road because I don't want to dig in my purse while driving. You barely have to stop, just roll on through. Forgot your FasTrak? That's OK. Just drive on through anyway and you get the toll amount taken from your account - not a 'slap on the hand' ticket at an increased amount.
Have it automatically refill the amount each time it runs low. And you can register it for use for more than one car.
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I am being threatened by FasTrak because somewhere, somehow my name was mis-associated with a person who ran a toll in April'08.
I have a valid and paid up FasTrak account yet they continue to send threatening letters....once you get locked in their loop of stupid, good luck getting out.... I'm waiting on a resolution, but won't trust until I get a letter clearing my name....
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Get it at Costco. Cheaper tolls to cross the many bridges around the Bay.
Use your Amex as your charge card and get an additional $5 of toll for free on your FasTrak.
When crossing the toll plaza, can go as slow as 25 mph for the FasTrak to track you.
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no complaints here.
quick & easy. i've forgotten my transponder a couple of times and drove through the fastrak lane and haven't gotten a violation.
Its saves you a hell lot time.
A few months back i picked up one of those cards.
I admit right here that i cannot ive without it. I cannot should have gotten it earlier.I save a lot of time on the bridge.
Des-Why don't you get Fast Trak?
Me-I have no need for one, and I don't want the State of California/Cal Trans keeping tabs on me. I'll leave that to my parole officer.
Des-But it'll save you time.
Me-I don't care, I'll never get one.
A few months back I caved and picked up one of those putty colored transponder things. Secretly I would tell everyone I hated it and wish I could just stop and pay my $4.00 ($5.00 on the GGB) and have a nice chat with the nice toll taker.
But I am coming clean and admitting right here in front of everyone. I cannot believe it took me this long to get one. I'm certain I saved 3 or 4 minutes on the San Mateo Bridge today. Believe me, in car time that's huge!
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There was a period when I was commuting from Sacramento into the City for about 18 months, CRAZY! Racked up some serious mileage on my car and tolls (Bay Bridge and the Carquinez Bridge).
There should be Fastrak lanes, one lane for those w/out Fastrak and one U-turn lane for the morons w/out Fastrak that stopped in my Fastrak lane at the toll booth in front of me trying to merge out of the Fastrak lane (while p*ssing off the Fastrak users and the non-Fastrak users already waiting in line, heh-heh).
Even after all these years of using Fastrak, there is still a split second of anxiety when I pass the toll booth until I hear the: "Bleep! Bleep!"
Then a sense of relief overcomes me as I've been validated for the morning!
Fastrak ROCKS! Cannot live w/out it and is a no brainer.
www.bayareafastrak.org
When zooming through the fastrak lane, does anyone say "cya suckers!" to the cars waiting in the cash lane?
Yeah, me too.
That's right, Baby...tell me I'm Valid, etc...
*mwah*
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I used FasTrak nearly everyday. I cross mainly the Bay Bridge, and sometimes the San Rafael Bridge. If you don't use FASTRAK, you get to wait in line. I love zipping pass traffic on the far right booths of the Bay Bridge Plaza. ONLY ONE THING! And alot of folks don't know this......there's a battery inside that transponder. When it gets weak, it won't beep when you pass thru the booth. You have to return it for service, and FASTRAK will send you a new one.
The transponders are a magical thing, but have you ever had to contact the toll-free number for general questions?
It's awful. Practically the entire customer service team sound like they were all sacked and tossed into the back of a van after a long day of liquor store loitering or turning tricks, brought to FT headquarters, and placed in front of a computer screen ready to take calls.
Extremely rude and amazingly ghetto.
Absolutely LOVE fastrak! Best thing ever, you save a dollar and get to fly by all those suckers who have to stop & pay toll.
I like the option to automatically replenish funds when you reach a certain amount. I think they base it on how often you cross the bridge.I cross once sometimes twice a week and my threshold is $15, then I am debited $25 more dollars from a checking account I linked.
My only complaint... heading back into the city on the Golden Gate Bridge all the "Fastrak ONLY" lanes are to the left. I need to take the first immediate exit to Park Presidio/19th Avenue and it really sucks to cut all the way across to the far right lane from the left.
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While I was at work, via text:
He: I love you, but I'm not in love with you.
Me: How dare you do this by text right before I have to impress a bunch of corporate strangers you selfish %$#@ing coward!
So, I log out, get in my car and plug in the iPod so I can run home, change, grab my briefcase, and head to the Peninsula.
September: You'll never see me again; no one's gonna cry for you.
Kristen S.: Damn right %$#@face! Can we be friends? As if! Kristen S. is an 'all or nothing girl' and does NOT stay friends with her exes!
Avenue Q.: It's a fine fine line between love and a waste of your time; and I don't have the time to waste on you anymore; I don't think that you even know what you're looking for.
Kristen S. (crying): Oh my god, I'm such a loser! I'm gonna die a spinster!
Pink: I'm not here for your entertainment; you don't really want to mess with me tonight.
Kristen S.: (wiping tears) Maybe I feel better. Just get it out of your system and put on your brave face for this afternoon.
Kristen S.: (Parks car, goes home, checks email, bawls after reading his emails, feels encouraged after reading other emails, puts on pin stripe suit, and grabs briefcase). Put on your brave face. Damn I look good in this suit. And I have a nice ass.
(back in car, plugs back in iPod, heads to Bay Bridge)
Mistah FAB: I'm hot, so hot; you need gloves to touch me.
Kristen S.: Damn right. Have you seen me in this suit? I'm a hot, sexy genius.
Joy Division: I can see all the weakness. I can pick all the faults.
Kristen S.: Yeah, we did have nothing in common. Hot athletic geniuses need to be with other hot athletic geniuses! Tool! You are sooooo not cut out to be Mr. Urban Socialite!
(Coming to Bay Bridge....Kristen S. goes in the Fastrak lane..."VALID ETC." and beeps)
Kristen S.: Damn I love that thing! I never carry cash. Hahaha bitches paying toll! And now the Urban Socialite/Lady of the Lake/Temptress of The Town becomes The Hot Child in The City as she approaches San Francisco.
The Donnas: Dancing with myself, oh oh oh oh.
Kristen S.: %$#@ YEAH! I'm ok. I'm gonna be ok.
Heartless Bastards: Been in love, been in love for long time...
Kristen S.: Actually, not really. (Switches song).
Roxette: Hold on tight, you know she's a little bit dangerous.
Kristen S.: That's right. Not just anyone is cut out to be Mr. Urban Socialite bitches!
Stroke Nine: How many people wanna kick some ass?
Kristen S. and Stroke Nine: I do! I do!
Akon: Look back and watch me smack that...
Kristen S.: You don't get to smack that anymore! A whole lotta running, skating, yoga, swimming, and weightlifting (and, ok, ice cream) made my fab ass! Kristen S. has been turning breast men to ass men since 1980 fools!
(Parks car, sighs, and kicks some %$#@ing ass that afternoon. Damn dude; crossing a bridge never felt so good!)
Hey, I have an eclectic taste in music, never carry cash, and look good in a suit. Thanks Fastrak!
I'm totally not this conceited or narcisistic by the way; I am just cheering myself up after a brutal slap in the face.
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Scene : Driving to the city during rush hour...
Me: FU@())(#)(@#)(@* I forgot my damn FasTrak again!
Whether you go often or just go on occasion FasTrak is a nice thing to have around. Unless you often travel with 3+ people, which most dont, KEEP ONE OF THESE IN YOUR CAR! Or you will find yourself like me just sitting in the line because people have a hard time handing the lady $4, regardless if they had 30 minutes to pull it out before hand.
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I've had my FasTrak for over 3 years now. I've used it sporadically on my way to/from Napa or Sonoma. It's cool, but I admittedly took the little thing for granted.
Not until I decided to move to the East Bay did I realize that FasTrak will soon be my savior.
For a speed racer like me, it's imperative that my car can zoom-zoom past all the slow ass drivers in this city. Not a virtue to be proud of, but I'm impatient...as all hell. No road rage, just can't deal with s...l...o...w.
Here's to time savers!
Now if I could get my hands on one of those coveted Clear Air vehicle stickers I'd be all set.
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Luv it! I wish the lanes were farther back, or certain a**holes wouldn't drive in them and then realize at the last minute "oops". When I do finally reach freedom and escape into the fasTrak lane I scream "Sucka's"as I drive by all the peeps waiting to pay their tolls. I know this is silly and childish... yes I'm a middle aged woman that should know better ( me have road rage, moi ?), but it feels so good after sitting in all that traffic to finally GET A HEAD .... glide thru the toll on to the metering lights only to find...... its backed up on the other side of the bridge!?! Oh well at least a moment of glory .... all owed to my FasTrak! And I actually use it on San Mateo Bridge and The Benicia Bridge as well as The Bay Bridge so its very handy. And when a kid steals out of my car and forgets to return it (as they often do) and I use the bridge, they take a picture of my plate and see I have a acct and bill it to my acct. ....Nice.....Luv it!
Once you go FasTrak, you'll never want to go back. I purchased mine at Costco with my AmEx and received extra toll credit. The lanes on the bay bridge and clearly marked, so I know where to go. I do not have to carry exact change; I do not have to queue up. I just drive right on through the FasTrak only lanes on my toll bridge of choice and I am on my way. When I have spent down my balance, my account is charged a fixed amount and all is well.
It was a huge deal to allow the organization to track my usage. I saw that Law & Order episode in which they tried to find out whether the guy did the crime by checking the time his car went over the bridge. Well, I spill out my guts on Yelp, so I figure people know everything about me anyway.
I kinda defeat the purpose of the device by SLOOOOWING down through the gate until I get that beep and "valid etc" sign. I am so scared that I will zoom past too fast and some giant robot will be deployed out of the toll plaza parking lot and scoop me up off the bridge. I should just chill and realize that I set up my license plate on the FasTrak website and if they photograph my car for not paying, they will just match it up to my existing account and deduct the toll from my balance. Good deal!
Oh yeah, I miss out on marriage proposals from the guys working the toll booths, but I would rather marry my transponder anyway.
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Efficient. Saves money. Tweaky in the beginning, but sign lanes are now further back to allow for time to move over if you're in a less familiar toll area. Auto debit can have its kinks. Had received a number of random false violations and had to have account credited and fixed. Customer support is fantastic -- once you actually get a live person.
BUT you are being tracked.
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I don't use the bridges very often. Perhaps a dozen times per year when I visit family in Sac or cross the GG to go hiking at Mt Tam or Pt Reyes. When they had their promotion, get $10 in fee tolls I thought what the hell, I'll get one.
At first I was a bit put off by having them automatically charging your credit card account, when it gets below a certain amount. I opted to go with sending in a check to top up the account. You need to leave a $25 deposit if you go with sending in a check.
The transponder worked the first 3 times with no problems. On the 4th, it did not register at the toll booth and I was sent a toll violation fine. I sent back the fine notice and checked the option to deduct the toll amount from my account to avoid having to pay the fine. Weeks pass. I get a second notice, saying my fine has doubled for the toll violation.
I try to call, but get an automated phone tree, telling me what I already know. My account had enough funds at the time of the violation. I have to take a day off work to drive up the city to get this violation straightened out. No reasonable explanation is given. All the info is on their computer. I decide to close my account.
I feel like this system is a scam. Trying to get people for toll violations when the transponder malfunctions. Violations they would never get if they just paid the toll in cash. Dedicating more lanes to fastrak only lanes just exacerbates the frustration with this system.
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The biggest no brainer in the history of mankind. Even if you only cross any of the bay area bridges once a year. Never worry about money for the bridge again.
Plus, leaving the transponder out in the open on your dash helps Homeland Security keep track of us. And that makes me feel super safe.
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Get outta my way bitches, I've got FASTRAK!
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Convenient, fast, easy - but with you, I lose track of the # of times I would have had to dig through my bag for $$. It's really FastLoseTrak...
With increasing toll prices, this is one way to make us forget - DANGEROUS!
Sometimes you can't tell whether or not I have the tracker in my car, and you bill me several days later after looking through the photos of my car whizzing by. That's fine, but did you know that sometimes I'm just too lazy to take the device out of its static-free wrap?
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Ok, so sometimes, I really impress myself. Other days (this past Saturday being a good example), well, not so much.
I had to go to deep into the East Bay and on the way back, as I am heading towards the toll plaza of the Bay Bridge I am like...hmm, I have cash, yeah, of course I do, But they take cards anyway, right? right.
"$4 please"
"Sure, here is 1,2,3...........................wait what?. I am a dollar short" Boink.
Guilty look and smile out the window of the car..
"I know it sounds silly, but that's all I got...you take cards, right?"
The toll booth attendee looks at me like a school teacher and goes:
"No, cash only. There, toll booth violation, it will be $25 plus the $4 you did not pay today...you''ll get a notice in the mail".
So I drive home, only to find out that if you sign up for Fastrack when getting the notice, you only get to pay the $4 and are off the hook. I was going to get one of those anyway (for the past n years), so it's about time.
I was pleasantly surprised by their business model and the fact that you could correct your honest mistake (honest, really) after the fact.
The DPT could learn from that. Speaking of which, I really should Yelp the DPT. No 5-stars there, that's a given...
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The new lanes on the toll plaza for the bay bridge are not working. I have noticed it has been even more congested the way they've configured the new lanes. It's so frustrating!!! I left even earlier the other day to avoid all the cars and the fastrak lanes had more cars than the other lanes and was backed up significantly more than non-fastrackers.
Besides the new frustration, I like fastrack and cant imagine driving without it. Even when I lived in San Diego I found lanes that required a toll and accepted fastrak. I was ecstatic. At times this little piece of technology is a life saver. Of course there are things that need improvement and it takes forever for them to get done, but at least it works 99% of the time.
______________________________________________
Check it out! I told you... http://sfgate.com/cgi-...
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You can also pick up FasTrak at Safeway and Costco. It's easy to register. If you have a FasTrak but it doesn't beep- don't worry you won't get a ticket - they match your license to your registered FasTrak and you will get charged.
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It's been said here before but I'll repeat. If you cross a bridge in the Bay Area more than once a month and you don't have FasTrak, you probably voted for Bush. Twice. You're not thinking things through.
I read a story in the paper about why people don't use it. One reason was the $15 deposit on the transponder. It's a deposit. YOU GET IT BACK. Even if you didn't, that's the price of a third of a carton on cigarettes. Which of those two expenditures seems shrewdest?
Another reason was people didn't want to scar up their car with the tape that holds the transponder onto the windshield. This from people who likely have a sticker letting you know their kid got some good grades in Middle School. YOU DON"T HAVE TO STICK ANYTHING TO YOUR CAR. Put it in the door pocket and simply hold it up when you drive through.
Another reason: People didn't want to give their credit card number to the State. THE STATE DOESN'T NEED YOUR DAMN CARD NUMBER. They're already experts at robbing you blind 87 different ways. They don't care about your damn card number.
Here's my idea: Label all but one lane "RESIDENTS - FASTRAK ONLY'. Label the remaining lane "TOURISTS - CASH ONLY".
That ought to do it.
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My parents live in San Mateo right off of 92 and we live in Hayward.
I cook pasta, beans, maybe on a good day I'll shape some meat into a burger. With FasTrak, a delicious, free, home-cooked meal is just 20 minutes away...at my parents' house. Oh, uhh... and I love to go visit my parents just because I love them so, of course. Now that they made more FasTrak lanes we can fly over the bridge.
It is so easy and free why wouldn't you get one??
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While absolutely i adore fastrak though i really wish the GGB would have fastrak only lanes on both sides of the toll booths instead of just to the left... us going on 19th ave have to cross way over to get there. But thats ok i can live with that ... but if you EVER EVER have a problem with your fastrak ohhh i wish you luck getting a live human to help you with your problem - it wasnt so bad when the office was down the road from where i work i could just walk in but once they moved and i had to phone them what a headache... one time they promised to get back to me and did ... 3 MONTHS LATER!! So yes it makes commuting easier and that alone is worth the hassle.
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Definitely required if you make multiple trips across any bay area bridge. The system seems to work pretty well now as I've only had it not register twice (One Time though, I was passing the tolls doing about 60 @ 2am). Ive never had a violation issue due to keeping the vehicles license plates registered to the account online. Once a mis-read is received for a plate on your account they will look it up and deduct as a toll your account so you don't receive a violation.
I do opt to place the transponder back into the foil bag in the glove compartment to reduce my ability of being tracked to 511 and "the Man". Though, if I was a bit more paranoid I would place the transponder in a RF blocking container when not in use.
Update 09/05/07:
OMG. My wish below came true. For the most part. They closed the Bay Bridge over Labor Day Wknd, and I was in NY. When I came back - - VOILA, Fastrak lanes go back further and it's clearer!!!
WOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
Now bar off other dork-o drivers from entering somehow, or penalize them heavily from the beginning of the Fastrak lanes, and you go 5 stars!! :-)
For now, adding on star to make a total 4 stars!!
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Real dilemma.
5 stars or 1 star. What do I do?
5 stars: FLYING THROUGH THE CRAZY AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC.
1 star: only to come to screeching halt at the lights before the bridge actually starts where it proceeds to be gridlocked.
5 stars: toll is automatically charged with that wonderful "bleep" sound
1 star: that would require that I actually reach the toll since traffic started a mile before the toll and the actual FASTRAK lanes don't begin until you can almost reach out and touch the tollbooth.
5 stars: the ability to fly through the tolls....
1 star: IF EVERYBODY SANS FASTRAK WOULD GET THE F#@# OUT OF THE FASTRAK LANE! (I wasn't prone to road rage until I got Fastrak and started to believe I was entitled to MORE MORE MORE!)
I mean, who would it have hurt to build an actual FASTRAK LANE, starting from where you can SEE the toll? Do you understand the frustration of being able to SEE the tollbooth but have 536 million cars in your way, with no special lane for you even though you are the only one amongst them who actually has $55 withdrawn from their account monthly to have this apparently unattainable privelege????
I'm willing to pay more taxes.
GIVE ME A FASTRAK LANE from a mile or two back, and then put those yellow poles up so that non-fastrakkers understand CLEARLY that you do not enter this oh-so-special lane because if you do, you can't GET OUT. Attach a $320 penalty to even entering that lane. Let me hear that bleep as I enter this lane. I'll pay $8 toll for that privelege.
And then, let me fly!
Bay Bridge is cool.
But damn, I really love the San Mateo Bridge. I start off in the E. Bay in a decent mood, but once I go across at sunset, I land on the other side absolutely overjoyed, refreshed, and blissfully happy.
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I normally don't play by roles but I honk at those who doesn't have the fastrak on my daily commute
You can pass pretty darn fast through the toll gates and still have it beep and tag you. Pretty efficient, occasionally fun, couldn't live without it.
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I love FasTrak. I just have one beef.
How come they haven't figured out a way to make it mandatory for everyone to get it?
(especially on the Bay Bridge.)
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I use the FasTrak as a self esteem boost.
That's right...I'm valid bitches!!!
That's what the lil sign says whenever i speed through the toll plaza. At least someone recognizes my worth.
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