Every gadget has an expiration date, including those FasTrak toll-paying tags that have carried motorists across Bay Area bridges for years.
Tags made before 2019 — distinguished by their large, blocky shape and sun-faded logos — will become useless in two years, when the California Department of Transportation discontinues their technology. At that point, bridge toll-reading equipment will no longer recognize the vintage transponders, which could lead to a surprise invoice or notice of violation for the driver.
To avoid the hassle of having to pay the old-fashioned way, drivers with obsolete tags can easily order new ones, either by requesting one via the FasTrak website or in-person at the customer service center in SoMa. Anyone who wishes to discard an old tag can simply drop it in the mailbox, said John Goodwin, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which runs the FasTrak electronic toll collection system…