Golden Gate Bridge toll takers may be eliminated

The Golden Gate Bridge could become the first bridge in the state - and possibly the nation - to eliminate human toll takers in favor of electronic toll collection.

The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District is considering a plan this month that would save $19.2 million over eight years by replacing all 32 toll takers with FasTrak receivers and video cameras.

The cameras would record the license plate of every driver without a FasTrak transponder and send a bill to the car's registered owner at the end of the month, said Mary Currie, spokeswoman for the bridge district.

A subcommittee of the district board will consider the plan Thursday, and the full board could vote on the proposal Jan. 28, she said.

Under the plan, the $3.2 million system would be installed late this year and undergo testing before going live in December 2012.

The electronic toll collection system, when fully operational, is projected to cost roughly $7.8 million each year, compared with a cost of more than $10 million each year for the current system.

While relatively small, that difference would add up, Currie said.

Government funding for the bridge district has been virtually eliminated in recent years, leaving it with an $89 million deficit over five years that it is working to close.

To balance the budget, the district has raised money by increasing tolls to $6 and charging carpoolers $2.50, and cut costs by eliminating staff and working with vendors, she said.

Now the district is looking at eliminating 28 full-time and four part-time toll collectors as well as two auditors.

"We're trying to spread the challenge of balancing the budget around," she said.

The union employees make $27 an hour plus benefits at a cost of roughly $6 million each year, Currie said.

Representatives from Transit Workers Union Local 250A did not return calls Monday seeking comment.

Currie said she hoped not every toll collector would be out of a job. The district is offering money to retrain those who aren't eligible for retirement to take other jobs, such as driving a bus or running the electronic toll program, she said.

And if the plan is approved this month, the cash lanes won't close for two years, giving the collectors plenty of time to plan, she said.

Currently, 66 percent of drivers use FasTrak to pay their toll on the Golden Gate Bridge, so there won't be a significant change in traffic during the week, Currie said. Backups on weekends could be dramatically reduced, if not eliminated, she said.

And a large number of the people who use cash to pay their tolls are tourists on road trips or locals who cross only a handful of times each month.

Drivers who refuse to get a FasTrak transponder can link their credit card to their license plate or receive a bill at the end of each month, Currie said. Drivers who don't want to hassle with a bill down the road - if they borrowed a relative's car, for example - will be able to pay their toll at kiosks, online or by calling 511, Currie said.

"The tourists from Nebraska, they would be an unregistered license plate," Currie said. "They'll just have a bill waiting for them when they get home."

E-mail Will Kane at wkane@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page A - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle