Toll exemption for buses crossing two WA bridges will end this fall

Public transit will no longer enjoy a free ride across two Washington bridges this fall.

Starting Oct. 1, operators of public and private bus services must pay tolls on the State Route 520 floating bridge and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Vanpool and public rideshare services, most of which are offered by transit agencies, too.

They all enjoy an exemption now. But this past session, as state lawmakers looked for ways to fill a billion-dollar hole in the transportation budget, they directed the Washington State Commission to erase the carveouts.

The repeal is in the six-year, $3.2 billion revenue package passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson. The marquee item — a 6-cent increase in the state’s gas tax — is counted on to produce nearly half the money. Ditching the toll exemption is projected to raise roughly $1 million a year.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/06/19/toll-exemption-for-buses-crossing-two-wa-bridges-will-end-this-fall/