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Golden Gate Bridge tolls will increase to address budget shortfall

Cars drive out of the toll booth on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Cars drive out of the toll booth on the Golden Gate Bridge.

Starting on July 1st, it'll cost an extra 50 cents for all drivers to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. The toll will continue to go up by 50 cents each year, for the next five years.

On top of the bridge tolls, the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District will also increase most of their ferry and bus fares by a quarter.

Ridership and revenue both suffered during the pandemic. Though the district received federal COVID relief funds in 2020, that funding runs out this month, according to a memo from staff.

These price hikes are part of a larger, five-year plan to solve a budget shortfall of more than 200 million dollars. Staff predict that the hike in toll prices will provide around 130 million dollars in revenue.

Despite this projection, the district still faces an additional shortfall that will not be covered by rising tolls.

Sheree is a writer and journalist based in the Bay Area. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from San Francisco State University. Her work can also be found on The Spectacle, TED.com, and KQED’s Rightnowish podcast.