Toll checker

SFO tolls are bridge tolls, and they charge one way

Every Bay Area toll bridge charges in one direction only: into San Francisco or westbound across the bay. Pick a drive from the SFO Rental Car Center to see which way you pay, and what the toll-free route costs in time.

Drives south and down the coast from SFO are toll-free. Crossing the bay or the Golden Gate is free one way and tolled the other, so most trips to the East Bay and Marin pay one bridge toll on the way back.

3of 16 drives: toll you cannot skip on the fastest route
6of 16 drives: free going, toll coming back
1of 16 drives: optional express lanes only
6of 16 drives: no tolls at all

Routes computed 2026-10-27 from OpenStreetMap, out and back, and hand-checked against the toll operators below. Drive times assume no traffic or stops.

Check your drive

SFO Rental Car Center to Downtown San Francisco

No tolls

12 mi, about 17 min on the fastest route, without traffic or stops.

Going: No tolls; 17 min
Coming back: No tolls; 19 min

All 16 drives at a glance

Drive	Time	Going	Coming back	Avoiding tolls
Downtown San Francisco	17 min	No tolls	No tolls	Not needed
Fisherman's Wharf	23 min	No tolls	No tolls	Not needed
Oakland (Jack London Square)	29 min	No tolls (the Bay Bridge is free eastbound)	Bay Bridge toll (westbound into San Francisco)	+45 min round trip
Berkeley (UC campus)	35 min	No tolls (the Bay Bridge is free eastbound)	Bay Bridge toll (westbound into San Francisco)	+49 min round trip
Stanford and Palo Alto	36 min	No tolls	No tolls	Not needed
Downtown San Jose	46 min	Free (US-101 express lanes optional)	Free (US-101 express lanes optional)	Not needed
Sausalito	32 min	No tolls (Golden Gate Bridge is free northbound)	Golden Gate Bridge toll (southbound)	+1 h 10 min round trip
Muir Woods	45 min	No tolls (Golden Gate Bridge is free northbound)	Golden Gate Bridge toll (southbound)	+1 h 06 min round trip
Napa (downtown)	1 h 09 min	Carquinez Bridge toll (eastbound)	Bay Bridge toll (westbound into San Francisco)	+1 h 02 min round trip
Sonoma Plaza	1 h 10 min	No tolls (Golden Gate Bridge northbound)	Bay Bridge or Golden Gate toll	+53 min round trip
Sacramento	1 h 44 min	Carquinez Bridge toll (eastbound)	Bay Bridge toll (westbound into San Francisco)	+1 h 09 min round trip
Half Moon Bay	27 min	No tolls	No tolls	Not needed
Santa Cruz Boardwalk	1 h 21 min	No tolls	No tolls	Not needed
Monterey Bay Aquarium	1 h 55 min	No tolls	No tolls	Not needed
Yosemite Valley	4 h 07 min	No road tolls (park entrance fee at Yosemite)	San Mateo-Hayward Bridge toll (westbound)	+39 min round trip
South Lake Tahoe	3 h 22 min	Carquinez Bridge toll (eastbound)	Bay Bridge toll (westbound into San Francisco)	+1 h 11 min round trip

Who charges the tolls around SFO

Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA)

Runs the seven state-owned bridges: Bay Bridge, San Mateo-Hayward, Dumbarton, Richmond-San Rafael, Carquinez, Benicia-Martinez and Antioch. Each charges in one direction only; the regular toll is $8.50.

Without a pass: Set up a Short-Term License Plate Account online. It covers bridge crossings from 48 hours before you set it up, or trips up to 30 days ahead. It does not cover express lanes.

In a rental car: If you cross with no account, the rental company receives the invoice and bills you under your rental agreement. Most companies offer a toll plan with a service fee; FasTrak lists PlatePass as the only rental toll service that also works in Bay Area Express Lanes.

Bay Area FasTrak: Bay Area Toll Bridges; Bay Area FasTrak: Rental Vehicles. Checked 2026-10-27.

Golden Gate Bridge District

Runs the Golden Gate Bridge. Tolls are collected southbound only, into San Francisco, and cash is no longer taken. For a car from July 1, 2026: $10.25 FasTrak, $10.50 License Plate Account or One-Time Payment, $11.25 Toll Invoice.

Without a pass: Make a One-Time Payment or open a License Plate Account; otherwise a Toll Invoice goes to the registered owner.

In a rental car: FasTrak says that if you cross in a rental with no payment set up, the rental company receives the invoice and bills you under your agreement. The Short-Term License Plate Account works for Golden Gate crossings too.

Golden Gate Bridge District: Tolls and Payment; Bay Area FasTrak: Rental Vehicles. Checked 2026-10-27.

Express lanes (US-101 and Bay Area)

The San Mateo 101 Express Lanes run 22 miles in both directions on US-101 from the Santa Clara County line to I-380, right next to SFO. They are extra lanes beside the free lanes.

Without a pass: A valid FasTrak toll tag is required to drive in Bay Area Express Lanes. The Short-Term License Plate Account does not cover them.

In a rental car: FasTrak says rental company plans may not cover express lanes. If your plan does not, stay in the regular lanes.

San Mateo County Express Lanes JPA: San Mateo 101 Express Lanes; Bay Area FasTrak: Rental Vehicles. Checked 2026-10-27.

Before you take the counter's toll plan

Around SFO a toll plan only matters if you will cross a bridge toward San Francisco or use an express lane. For bridges, the Short-Term License Plate Account from FasTrak lets you pay the toll yourself, set up as late as 48 hours after the crossing. Express lanes are different: they need a FasTrak tag, and FasTrak says PlatePass is the only rental toll service that covers them. Each rental company's plan and fee is in its rental agreement; read that before you accept a plan at the counter.

Toll questions

Do I pay a toll driving from SFO to San Francisco?

No. US-101 from the SFO Rental Car Center into San Francisco has no toll. Bridge tolls start only when you cross the bay or the Golden Gate.

Which direction is the Golden Gate Bridge toll?

Southbound only, into San Francisco. Driving north to Sausalito, Muir Woods or Sonoma is free; you pay coming back. From July 1, 2026 a car pays $10.25 with FasTrak, $10.50 by License Plate Account or One-Time Payment, or $11.25 by Toll Invoice.

Is the Bay Bridge toll both ways?

No. The Bay Bridge charges westbound traffic, into San Francisco, only. The state-owned bridge toll is $8.50 for a car in 2026, so an Oakland or Berkeley day trip from SFO pays it once, on the way back.

Can I pay a Bay Area bridge toll without the rental company's plan?

Yes. FasTrak's Short-Term License Plate Account covers Bay Area bridge crossings from 48 hours before you open it, or trips up to 30 days ahead. It does not cover express lanes, which need a FasTrak tag.

Are the US-101 express lanes near SFO required?

No. The San Mateo 101 Express Lanes run beside the free lanes. You pay only if you drive in them, and you need a FasTrak tag to do so.

Returning your car at SFO SFO toll pass guide Compare rental companies

Sources

Fastest car route out and back from the public Valhalla router run by FOSSGIS (OpenStreetMap data, no live traffic), once allowing tolls and once excluding every tolled road. Toll flags come from OpenStreetMap toll tags, which are set per direction, so a bridge tolled one way only shows in that direction. Every toll verdict on this page was then checked by hand against the toll operator sources listed. Destinations geocoded with Nominatim. Drive times are free-flow estimates; real times are longer with traffic and stops.