FAQs

Tolls

The system monitors the freeway and raises or lowers the toll to keep traffic flowing smoothly in the express lanes. San Mateo 101 Express Lanes use “dynamic pricing” to set the toll price. Dynamic pricing is when the price to use the lane goes up or down depending on how crowded the lane is. Overhead message signs tell drivers the price to travel to a destination in the Express Lane. Tolls are paid using FasTrak®.

A Bay Area Toll Payment Plan exists for qualifying individuals whom have accumulated multiple toll violations. To find out if you are eligible or to apply for the payment plan, please click here.

No. Drivers only need one toll tag in the vehicle. Standard FasTrak® toll tags should be exchanged for a FasTrak Flex® toll tag. If multiple toll tags are in a vehicle, the toll system may detect the additional toll tag(s) and the trip may result in multiple toll charges.  More information about getting a FasTrak Flex® toll tag can be found here.

All vehicles need FasTrak® or FasTrak Flex® to pay the toll using their FasTrak® account. If a vehicle enters the Express Lane without a FasTrak®, FasTrak Flex®, or FasTrak® account, a violation notice will be sent to the address where the vehicle is registered. This violation notice includes the value of the toll, plus a $10 penalty, which must be paid by the notice due date. If payment is not received within this period, a second notice will be sent, which includes the value of the toll, $10 penalty, and $20 late fee. Failure to pay the second notice may result in additional fees and withholding of your vehicle registration by the DMV and/or a referral to a collections agency.

The penalty is waived for first-time violators if you sign up for FasTrak®.

For buses, including commuter shuttles, to use the San Mateo 101 Express Lanes for free, they must have a properly mounted FasTrak Flex® set to 3+. Buses and shuttles may also use the lanes for deadhead time.

For questions on FasTrak, call FasTrak’s Customer Service Center at 877-BAY-TOLL (877-229-8655), or visit GetFasTrak.com for more information about FasTrak® and how to open an account.

Two-person carpools in two-seater vehicles can travel toll-free in the US 101 Express Lanes in San Mateo County. Please set your FasTrak Flex transponder in the “3+” position before driving.

The Clean Air Vehicle Decal program that provides the CAV discount is ending on September 30, 2025.  The program has not been extended. Under Section 166 of Title 23 of the United States Code, federal legislation was required to authorize an extension, but no such action has been taken.  

If you have a FasTrak CAV toll tag with associated with a valid Clean Air Vehicle decal, you were eligible for applicable toll discounts. Eligibility for CAV discounts on the San Mateo US 101 Express Lanes will automatically expire when the CAV decal expires on September 30, 2025. Effective October 1, 2025, your FasTrak CAV toll tag will then work as a FasTrak Flex toll tag. Drivers are encouraged to consider carpooling to continue receiving toll discounts and access to the HOV lanes.  

Effective October 1, 2025, your FasTrak CAV Toll Tag will be automatically converted to a FasTrak Flex toll tag, and full toll rates will apply. 

Express Lanes

All vehicles need FasTrak® or FasTrak Flex® toll tags to use the lanes.

  • 3+ person carpools, vanpools, buses, and motorcycles can use the lane for free with a properly set FasTrak Flex or FasTrak CAV toll tag.
  • 2-person carpools can receive a 50% toll discount when using a properly set FasTrak Flex or FasTrak CAV toll tag.
  • Solo Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) drivers can receive a 50% toll discount with the FasTrak CAV toll tag.
  • Solo drivers will pay full tolls with FasTrak® or FasTrak Flex®.

Before starting your trip, solo drivers must set their FasTrak Flex toll tag to the “1” position so the toll system can charge the vehicle the proper toll. Carpools with two occupants would send the toll tag to the “2” position to get a toll discount. Carpools with three or more occupants or motorcyclists must set their toll tag to the “3+” position. The “2” and “3+” settings allow eligible vehicles to use the lanes toll free or for discounted tolls. These toll tag settings also trigger beacons that CHP officers use to enforce vehicle occupancy requirements.

Cars with a valid Clean Air Vehicle decal wishing to get a toll discount will need to use a FasTrak CAV toll tag. To apply for a FasTrak CAV toll tag, visit BayAreaFasTrak.org/cleanair.

Visit GetFasTrak.com for more information about FasTrak® and how to open an account.

You can enter or exit the US 101 Express Lanes in San Mateo County at any point.

US 101 Express Lanes in San Mateo County operate Monday – Friday 5am-8pm. Outside of these hours, the lanes are open to all drivers at no charge.

Carpool lanes, commonly referred to as “diamond lanes” or “high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes,” are special lanes reserved for carpools, buses, motorcycles, or eligible clean air vehicles with decals to use during specific hours. Carpool lane hours of operation and carpool occupancy requirements vary by corridor and are posted on the roadside where restrictions apply. Carpool lanes are indicated with roadside signs that include the diamond symbol and the rules for use of the lane, as well as diamond markings on the pavement of the lane.

Express Lanes allow any vehicle, regardless of occupancy, to use the lane during operating hours for the posted price or at a discounted rate when meeting specific occupancy requirements. This allows solo drivers with a FasTrak® account to use the lane for a toll compared to a carpool/diamond lane in which a vehicle must meet the minimum occupancy to use the lane without being in violation of the California Vehicle Code Section 21655.5. Express Lanes in the Bay Area are indicated with roadside and overhead signs which display the FasTrak® requirement and other use rules, and are accompanied by "EXPRS LANE" markings on the pavement of the lane.

The SM101 Express Lanes price specific zones of the corridor between the various US-101 exits in San Mateo County. Prices to use the lane within these specific zones are posted on the overhead signs preceding the zones.  The limits of the pricing zones are the destinations noted on the overhead signs. Prices vary in each of the zones and accumulate if a vehicle drives through multiple zones based on what is displayed on the signs. The price a driver will be charged is the price that is displayed when they enter the lane, even if the price to that destination increases while they’re in the Express Lane. 

Tolling Zones

The graphic above is a basic depiction of signage on a portion of the northbound (NB) SM101 Express Lanes.  The following examples describe various trip scenarios and how a solo driver paying full price of posted tolls would be charged. In all scenarios, if the vehicle was a carpool of 3 or more passengers, then the trip would be toll-free and if the vehicle had 2 passengers or had a FasTrak Flex ® CAV tag, then the trip would be discounted.

Example 1: Driver A enters the NB Express Lane near Hillsdale Blvd in San Mateo when the sign reads as shown above.  Driver A exits the Express Lane to take the SR-92 exit from US-101.  Since Driver A only drove within zone 1 of the Express Lane, they are assessed the posted toll at the time the driver entered the Express Lane of $1.50.

Example 2: Driver B enters the NB Express Lane near Hillsdale Blvd in San Mateo when the sign reads as shown above.  This sign shows that it the full toll price of the first zone to SR-92 is $1.50 and through two zones—past SR-92 to the Broadway exit—would be $3.50. Driver B’s destination is on Broadway, so they continue in the Express Lane and then take the Broadway exit from US-101.  In this case, Driver B is assessed a toll of $3.50.

Example 3: Driver C sees the toll sign near Hillsdale Blvd and decides that they do not want to pay $3.50 to reach Broadway and remain in the General Purpose lane.  However, as they continue driving on US-101, they realize that they are running late to a doctor’s appointment, and Driver C decides to enter the Express Lane just past the SR-92 interchange (in zone 2).  Entry into the Express Lane allows Driver C to bypass some of the traffic, saving time, and they exit the Express Lane further downstream to take the Broadway exit from US-101.  In this case, Driver C only drove in zone 2, so Driver C is assessed a toll of $2.00.

Example 4: Driver D merges onto US-101 from SR-92 and safely enters the Express Lane just past the SR-92 interchange when the sign reads as shown above. Driver D remains in the Express Lane until exiting just past SFO to take the I-380 exit from US-101.  In this case, Driver D drove within zones 2 and 3 and is assessed a toll of $3.00.

Example 5: Driver E lives in Foster City and works in downtown South San Francisco but is running late leaving home.  Driver E enters US-101 at Hillsdale Blvd and immediately merges into the Express Lane to improve their travel time.  Driver E continues in the Express Lane until they reach their exit at E. Grand Ave in South San Francisco.  In this case, Driver E drove through all three zones and is assessed a toll of $4.50.

Additional information on how Express Lanes work can be found at the following links:

The San Mateo County Express Lanes is developing a program that will help qualifying San Mateo County residents cover some of their transportation costs, called the Community Transportation Benefits Program. For more details, go to the Community Transportation Benefits page or keep scrolling for more FAQs.

All lanes on the freeway are wide enough to accommodate all vehicles. After a thorough safety review, Caltrans engineers have determined that the Express Lanes meet Caltrans safety and operating standards. In many places along the corridor, the outside lanes are wider than the inner lanes.

When there is an accident in the Express Lanes, California Highway Patrol (CHP) will be notified and called to the location of the accident. During the accident, CHP has complete control over the toll system. The lane will be opened or closed to various vehicles at CHP’s discretion depending on the circumstances of the accident. The overhead signs will be updated with the status of the lane open or closure. In addition, CHP can close the Express Lanes if necessary to respond to an accident in the other General Purpose lanes or any other highway emergency.

Caltrans continues to provide lane sweeping to keep them clear of debris.

Go Card Program

The Go Card Program helps cover transportation costs for qualifying San Mateo County residents. Eligible participants receive a $200 prepaid card to be spent on qualifying transportation purchases, such as adding value to Clipper, purchasing paratransit trips, and renting bikes.  

For more details, go to the Go Card Program page. 

You can use your prepaid card for public transit, express lanes, toll bridges, paratransit, and bike or scooter rentals. Use it as a payment method with Bay Area transportation providers like Clipper or FasTrak®, or use it to pay for services like BayWheels and Lime scooters. Keep track of your prepaid card balance using your online account. Please note that this prepaid card cannot be reloaded with outside funds. 

An email address and documentation to verify your age, address, and income are required at the time of applying. Accepted forms of identification include driver’s licenses, passports, green cards, military IDs, foreign IDs, and other any other government-issued IDs that include your date of birth. 

For your proof of address, acceptable documents include utility bills, bank or credit card statements, leases, employment letters, USPS documentation, and insurance or tax documents. 

Income eligibility may be verified using pay stubs, tax forms, a letter from your employer, or a benefits letter. If none of the income verification document options are available to you, you may sign a self-declaration statement confirming your income directly on the application. 

If you have any questions about acceptable documentation, please contact info@101expresslanes.org with questions. To keep your personal information safe, please do not send documentation by email. 
 

The program requires an email address for eligibility verification, account management, and program notifications. If you need assistance setting up an email account, please reach out to our local partner organizations for assistance.

Yes. Multiple people who live in the same household may receive a prepaid card if each person meets the Go Card Program’s eligibility requirements. Please be sure to apply separately.

Once you are approved for the Go Card Program, you will receive a notification email with a link to access your prepaid card account. Upon logging in, you may choose either a virtual or physical prepaid card. We recommend a virtual prepaid card, because you can activate it and use it on the same day. The physical prepaid card may take a few weeks to arrive in the mail.

If you need help activating on your prepaid card or something happens to it—like it gets lost, stolen, or damaged—check the cardholder agreement for customer service support information. You can find it in the welcome kit that came with your prepaid card, either in the virtual or physical package.

If you still meet the program eligibility requirements, you may reapply the following year and have additional funds loaded directly onto your existing prepaid card.

Yes. The prepaid card will expire after three (3) years, so make sure you spend all available funds before the expiration date. 

If you do not use an activated prepaid card for 12 consecutive months, a monthly inactivity fee will be deducted from the balance. Additionally, if a prepaid card is not activated within one (1) year of receipt, the funds may be canceled. 

This is a new program funded by the San Mateo US 101 Express Lanes. Even if you recently received a benefit through the previous Community Transportation Benefits Program, you may still qualify for a prepaid card under the new Go Card Program, provided you meet the program eligibility requirements. Please contact one of our partner organizations to learn how to enroll. 

As this is a new program, eligibility documentation will be required from all applicants. Be sure to have all documents ready when applying to the program.
 

Yes, there are several regional programs that are available, including discount programs through Clipper and Bay Area FasTrak®. 

Clipper offers several regional programs that provide discounts on transit fare for qualified individuals. For more information and to apply online, visit www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/discounts.html. For help, call Clipper Customer Service Center at (877) 878-8883. 

Express Lanes START is a program offering a 50% discount for qualified households on tolls in the I-880 Express Lanes between Oakland and Milpitas. More information and how to apply can be found at www.expresslanesstart.org/s/. 

You can use your prepaid card to fund your Clipper START, Youth, Senior, or RTC/Access card and your Express Lanes START FasTrak® account to make your mobility funds go even further. 
 

The Go Card Program is sponsored and funded by the San Mateo US 101 Express Lanes.