Fastrak Flex in the SF Bay Area - 1, 2 or 3+?

[sac2dude]

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I recently received my Fastrak Flex in the mail.  I plan on installing it in the Boxster tonight, but I've never had one, and I'm a bit confused of how I should set the switch (1,2,3+) for passengers.

 

Obviously for just "me", it'd be "1"...   But if I have a passenger, do I set the switch to "2", or bump it to "3+" since I'm essentially a carpool at that point?

 

Anybody have experience with these things?

 

Thanks!

 

[rogerjohnsen]

Definitely not a dumb question...  I know if you have a 2-seater then you still qualify for 3+ carpool lanes when driving with 2 occupants.  Ultimately you'd run at 3+ to qualify for the more restricted HOV access requiring 3 or more occupants.  Most HOV are 2+ so you're fine with that setting in those circumstances.  One additional item to be aware of is tolls allowing non-HOV use for a fee; use the Mylar bag to prevent getting "dinged" on these for those running the original toll tag.  (Seems like the "Flex" version is meant to prevent this.)  Finally - keep an eye on your Fastrak statement as CalTrans uses license plate readers and I've had multiple charges resulting from a misread glitch.  You can always contact Fastrak customer service for any problems and they've been great in my experiences.  You don't need to have your toll tag to use your Fastrak account either as long as your license plate is listed on your account. (Vehicles can be added / deleted through your online account or over the phone.) I have had over 20 vehicles on my account and didn't want to pay the security deposit for toll tags > 3 or whatever the limit was.  Also works for rental vehicles - call Fastrak and provide the license plate to them with the time frame you'll have the car.

 

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