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Fastrak Flex or Fastrak CAV?
- Thread starter tintinfish
- Start date
There’s some sections of carpool lanes (237 comes to mind but there may be others) where clean air vehicles with single occupants are no longer free but rather they get a 50 percent discount. It’s my understanding the discount can only be applied with the Fastrak CAV transponder because the Fastrak Flex transponder has no way to process that.
LNL_HUTZ
Member
I don't think you can even get a CAV transponder without a decal. This is what they told me about the ordering process:
Fastrak Customer Service said:
The decals are for the other Bay Area roads and onramps that don't have Express lanes: 4, 80, 84, 85, 87, 92, 101, 280, 580, 680, Central Expressway, Montague Expressway,....
Oh so I can use 680 with decal? Do I need a flex-3 then? I still have my transponder from 10years ago
Bringing this back... my CAV decal expires at the end of 2021. Would you recommend I get the fastrak flex (I’m going with flex over standard as I travel across the bay bridges frequently) and/or the CAV one? I don’t know if the CAV one will be worth it though since I only have a year left and won’t be commuting as much with Covid
LNL_HUTZ
Member
Right but I need the flex instead of the regular one. So I’m debating whether I should get the CAV one now for a year until my decal expires and then switch over to flex or just not bother with it and get the flex now, use the HOV lane but not get the discount
The CAV transponder is just a Flex transponder with a sticker on it (and that's linked to a CAV VIN). After your CAV stickers expire, the transponder will work like a regular Flex.
As of July 4, 2021, I am still confused. To help me, here's what I think I know (taken from FasTrak webpages):
There seem to be three types of FasTrak toll tags:
- Standard FasTrak toll tag. No switch. No discounts (right?). User must have regular FasTrak online account. Benefits: it allows driver to (a) avoid having to stop to pay bridge tolls in cash, and (b) use special for-a-fee express lanes on certain highways (the cost of the fee is automatically withdrawn from FasTrak account). Used, for example, by ICE vehicles.
- FasTrak Flex toll tag. Note the vertical switch orientation Benefits:
(a) For carpools, motorcycles and eligible clean air vehicles to travel toll free in the I-580 express lanes (e.g., east of Dublin; Richmond-San Rafael Bridge).
(b) For carpools and motorcycles (but not specifically CAVs) to receive toll discounts in the I-880, I-680 Contra Costa, and SR-237 express lanes, Used by ICE and CAV vehicles.
- FasTrak CAV toll tag. Note the yellow CAV sticker and horizontal switch orientation. Issued only to eligible Clean Air Vehicles (with CAV certificate that comes with DMV HOV stickers). The only toll tag that communicates correct CAV-related discounts to all roadside FasTrak equipment. Benefits:
(a) Free or reduced tolls in and around the Bay-area.
(b) Works at all Bay-area toll bridges and express lanes.
(c) Works to pay parking (but not free; deducted from credit card on file with FasTrak) at San Francisco International Airport.
(d) For CAVs to receive discounted single-occupant travel in the I-880, I-680 Contra Costa and SR-237 express lanes. For use only by eligible CAVs.
- It happens that I have in my possession all three types. (My bad. Standard was issued for old Honda ICE car; Flex was secured in 2017 for Honda fuel cell car; CAV was just received for 2021 Model X.) Since I now only have the Tesla, I will return the first two to FasTrak by certified mail.
- 2(a) and 2(b) illustrate the tendency for bureaucratic revenue programs to get increasingly complicated over time. My opinion: make things easier on drivers; strive for fee and discount consistency among the Bay-area express lanes and bridges.
- As far as I can tell, if you drive in or around the San Francisco Bay area and have an eligible CAV (and Tesla cars are still eligible, I believe), you should first get HOV stickers ($22 from DMV) and second get a CAV toll tag from FasTrak. You need the CAV certificate (that comes from DMV with the HOV stickers) in order to get the CAV toll tag (from FasTrak). This combination will allow you to legally use diamond lanes (even if single-occupancy) and provide the most accurate discounts and free bridge and express lane usage, correct?
- Once your HOV stickers expire, then the CAV toll tag becomes just like a Flex toll tag, right?
- Where I remain confused is the three-way switch on the CAV toll tag. As tintinfish mentioned (Post #1), with the (older) Flex toll tag I believe that vehicles with valid HOV stickers could set the switch to 3+ people (even if only driving with 1 or 2 people in the car). But now that is true only for the I-580 express lanes.
And with the (new) CAV toll tag, you are always supposed to set the switch to the correct number of occupants, correct? Sounds like BEVs with valid HOV stickers may now receive fewer discounts? Not sure of that. Seems complicated (for those not living in or regularly traveling through the Bay-area)--depends on the express lane location.
- After examining the "Bay Area FasTrak Customer Handbook" (FasTrak Handbook), switch position webpage (Switch Positions), and Clean Air Vehicles webpage (CAVs), things will be confusing, I predict, for all but the regular Bay-area visitor or resident. If you are like me and travel to the area occasionally in a year, but sometimes drive through several "jurisdictions" and over several highway corridors (say during a lengthy day trip), it appears to be best to get a CAV toll tag (with valid HOV stickers) set to the correct occupancy and hope that the discount-tracking technology works at bridge toll booths and on the various express lanes.
- IMO, the increasingly complicated natures of the otherwise originally simple and convenient FasTrak technology with the varying local express lane usage fees are just going to encourage dissatisfaction, accidental misuse, and/or purposeful malfeasance (e.g., some people will probably just set Flex and CAV toll tags to 3+ [turn it up to "11"] and hope not to be reported to CHP). Regular commuters on standard daily routes will be OK, but god help those of us occasional BEV visitors trying to fight the inevitable commuter traffic while traveling through several Bay-area counties using bridges and express lanes.
So I just got the CAV Flex since I will be using the 680 Contra Costa lanes on a regular basis. Up until recently I was using the non-CAV Flex and that used to beep every time the transponder communicated with the Express Lanes equipment at regular distance intervals. I notice that this CAV Flex doesn't beep and I don't see any half price charges at all on my account after about a week. I have it set on 1 occupant and so far I've used between Concord and San Ramon and then on the 580 between Dublin and the Altamont.
I'm trying to figure out if the transponders I have are not working or they now don't beep and it takes a bit of time for the account activity to bill to your account. On my non-CAV flex after a day or two I'd see activity on my account after a few days when using the 580 even if it was a zero charge.
I'm trying to figure out if the transponders I have are not working or they now don't beep and it takes a bit of time for the account activity to bill to your account. On my non-CAV flex after a day or two I'd see activity on my account after a few days when using the 580 even if it was a zero charge.
leaftoy
Member
How do folks here mount fastrak flex/cav? I tried windshield next to camera using provided Velcro tape and it keeps falling off every time I park in the sun.
Every car that I have put a FasTrak transponder in had this problem of it falling off the windshield. I just put it on the dash (with a black tape over the number) using the Velcro tape.
i bought one of these off ebay and stick it on the glass roof above my head and works fine.
Like I said above, I've had no problem with the Velrco supplied by FasTrak in the past. However, when I removed the previous (Flex) device (from Honda) to install the new (CAV) device in the Tesla, I did notice that the old Velcro had kind of 'crystalized' (due to heat and sunlight, I assume). It just fell apart into little pieces. However, FasTraK is really good about sending replacement parts--very quick. I received replacement Velcro right away.
leaftoy
Member
I just received the replacement velcro from Fastrak. Hopefully this one stays on. Otherwise I will have to look into a suction cup mount like the one mentioned above.
BTW, in the velcro, is there supposed to be a window side and a fastrak side?
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