Hertz Corporation and its business partner, American Traffic Solutions (ATS) reached a settlement agreement with San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera in connection with a lawsuit involving hidden fees charged to unsuspecting car rental customers who crossed the Golden Gate Bridge.
Allegations against Hertz and ATS
In 2017, Atty. Herrera sued Hertz and ATS for allegedly engaging in false advertising and unlawful business practices. He argued that the companies misled rental car customers about how to avoid PlatePass and its expensive fees. The PlatePass service was supposed to allow customers bypass cash toll lanes and use the FasTrak lanes at the Golden Gate Bridge without establishing a FasTrak account.
However, in 2013, the Golden Gate Bridge decided to implement a cashless, electronic tolling. As a result, the PlatePass service became useless to its customers crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Every lane is the same and available to everyone with or without PlatePass or FasTrak. Therefore, customers no longer received the promised benefit of faster passage.
