Talk:FasTrak/Archive 1

Archive 1

Competition

Something should be said about the non-compete portion of the contracts to build the toll roads. This keeps Caltrans from improving freeways that could be considered competition to the toll roads. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.101.108.34 (talk • contribs) 7:08, 19 June 2005 (UTC)

Not really. The non-compete clause to which you refer has nothing to do with the mechanism by which tolls are collected. (And it's now a moot point, as it existed only on the SR71 Express Lanes, which have been purchased by the County, in the process removing the non-compete clause.) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.88.114.1 (talk • contribs) 23:27, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

ANPR

I'm assuming that vehicles without transponders use automatic number plate recognition - can someone confirm that and add it into the article? violet/riga (t) 18:13, 1 Apr 2005 (UTC)

• Done. Zzyzx11 18:31, 1 Apr 2005 (UTC)

• This is not really true. All of the FasTrak agencies use cameras to capture license plates of vehicles without transponders, but only a few sites actually use ANPR ; the majority still rely on operators to manually identify license plates. Phaid (talk) 18:03, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

Parking lots

Nothing in the article about parking lots? I know that SFO and OAK airport parking lots recognize the FasTrak transponder. Binksternet (talk) 21:55, 30 April 2009 (UTC)

Traffic Statistics

I've heard that FastTrak transponders are being mointored on the freeway to provide traffic statistics using antennas mounted under signs. A Transponder ID is located at Point A, and measured until it reaches point B. Can anyone confirm or deny this? What about privacy? Antagonist 23:30, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

Concept is confirmed through the San Francisco Bay Area website for FasTrak, http://bayareafastrak.org/static/about/faq_using.shtml#8 and 511.org http://511.org/global_items/global_info.asp#webtraffic

They claim it is completely anonymous, but in order to "opt out" you must shield your transponder. They suggest using a mylar bag that comes with the transponder to do so. The websites do not contain specific details on where and how traffic information is collected. Ieatlint 09:00, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

Right. So why isn't the data collection discussed in the article? What have been some of the surprises traffic engineers have seen from the data? What has it been showing in trends? Etc. etc. Binksternet (talk) 21:57, 30 April 2009 (UTC)

Operations?

Who runs FasTrak should be included in the article. Is it a private company? This information does not appear to be readily available on the FasTrak website. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.0.193.209 (talk) 20:03, 7 January 2013 (UTC)

The explanation is laid out in the History section of this article:

1. Different state agencies (more specifically, different special-purpose districts), operate different toll facilities in California. None of them are under one agency. For example, the Bay Area Toll Authority operates a majority (but not all) of the San Francisco Bay Area toll bridges, while the Transportation Corridor Agencies is in charge of the toll roads in Orange County. This situation pre-dates FasTrak.
2. Concerned that these different agencies would adopt incompatible electronic toll systems, the California State Legislature passed a law in 1990 requiring the California Department of Transportation to develop one statewide technical specification which all these systems would be required to meet. The fear was that Bay Area residents would have to purchase multiple transponders for all the Bay Area toll bridges. Likewise, Southern California residents would possibly have to carry two transponders as well: one for the then-planned Orange County toll roads and a different one for the then-planned adjacent 91 Express Lanes.
3. Transportation Corridor Agencies was the first state agency to implement this ETC system on their facilities, and thus had the opportunity to be the one to name the statewide specification: "FasTrak".
4. The state continues to delegate the responsibility of maintaining FasTrak accounts to the different toll agencies. Thus, for example, an Orange County resident can just go to the Transportation Corridor Agencies web site to obtain a FasTrak transponder, while a Bay Area resident can go to the web site of the Bay Area FasTrak Customer Service Center.

I might try to add a brief summary of this in the lead introduction section as well. Thanks. Zzyzx11 (talk) 04:25, 8 January 2013 (UTC)

== Fastrak owned/managed by Xerox ==

Fastrak IS operated , not owned , by Conduit Inc.,a division of Zerox and described by the company as a venture that represents "the company's expertise in managing transactional relationships between their clients and their constituents". So not owned, but managed. As Managers however they have the distinct privledge of reporting violations, true or false, to the DMV which can thereby restrict licensing and registration renewals. As a service center they are notorious for not resolving errors or subsequent false charges issued to customers. A local San Francisco consumer investigator has done many stories on the problems people have encountered with this operation.

http://abc7news.com/traffic/7-on-your-side-investigates-fastrak-toll-violations/712457/

Compatibility

Seeing that the Fastrak Transponders operate the same way as the E ZPass system will they be able to be used on those already on the E ZPass system any time soon?

69.251.156.98 (talk) 01:10, 18 May 2010 (UTC)

Although they may have the same technology, I have yet to have seen anything that states that those agencies operating E-ZPass have the legal permission to access and deduct money from FasTrak accounts, and vice versa. Zzyzx11 (talk) 15:00, 5 June 2010 (UTC)

FasTrak transponders utilize a different protocol than E-ZPass transponders. They are not interoperable. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mikeettm (talk • contribs) 04:57, 2 February 2011 (UTC)

The article is unclear about a number of compatibility issues. The article indicates that different agencies issue the transponders, but doesn't make it clear whether a transponder issued by one agency but not registered can be registered to an account with another agency. Also, the degree of compatibility is unclear. Making systems compatible would imply that a unit with a switch could be understood in the Bay Area and the driver would not be charged. If the latter is true, then registering a transponder from Southern California in the Bay Area would allow the switch to work throughout the state. If that sort of compatibility is not there, then it should be explained in the article what "compatible" really means. Hagrinas (talk) 18:01, 21 September 2014 (UTC)

License number change

How do I change my license number? Theryn330 (talk) 18:38, 14 October 2016 (UTC)

How do I change my license number? Theryn330 (talk) 18:40, 14 October 2016 (UTC)

6mwb654 Marusya55 (talk) 04:23, 23 November 2016 (UTC)