What are toll roads and how do they work?
Learn how toll roads in Australia work, what they cost, and why they remain a controversial part of the country's transport system
If you’ve ever driven on a major road in a capital city on Australia’s east coast then chances are you’ve used a toll road.
Toll roads have been around for centuries – Australia’s first toll road opened way back in 1811 between Sydney and Parramatta – but it was in the 1990s, when toll roads started to be privatised, that they really took off in our capital cities.
Simply put, a toll road is a road, or a section of road, that requires motorists to pay a fee to use. In return for the fee, toll roads promise faster travel times and also claim to reduce traffic congestion. In reality, however, most toll roads have struggled to hit their traffic targets with those involving tunnels more likely to suffer congestion issues.
Toll roads also provide a safety benefit as they tend to include fewer potential hazards, provide greater visibility for drivers, and include higher quality road surfaces.
Just as Woolworths and Coles dominate Australia’s supermarket industry, there is a clear lack of competition when it comes to toll-road operators in our country. One company, Transurban, owns or partially owns 18 of Australia’s 22 toll roads.
Most of Australia’s toll roads are in Sydney where motorists spend upwards of $2 billion a year, or an average of $82.78 per week, to use a network that spans just over 150km.
Over the 2023-24 financial year, Transurban recorded 3.283 billion in revenue from toll roads in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, a significant increase over the 2.437 billion recorded in 2022-23.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the amounts involved – recent modelling shows Sydney drivers will spend $195 billion on toll roads between now and 2060 - toll roads are a controversial topic. So much so that in 2024 the NSW government conducted an independent review into high usage costs, inconsistent pricing, and a shortfall in predicted congestion relief.
The same review also surveyed 1500 Sydney drivers and found 87 per cent thought toll charges were too high, while 70 per cent felt they were unfair.
So how much do toll roads in Sydney coast? And do we really need them? Let’s take a look.
Frustratingly there is no overarching system for toll charges in Sydney. Instead, Sydney’s toll charges are currently calculated in three ways depending on which toll road you use: fixed rate charges, variable time-of-day charges, and distance-based tolls. Your type of vehicle also impacts the fee, with motorbikes, regular cars, and heavy vehicles paying progressively higher charges as the size of the vehicle increases.
The cheapest toll road to use in Sydney is the Harbour Tunnel and Harbour Bridge which carry a fee of $2.67 on weekdays between 7:00pm and 6:30am and weekends from 8:00pm to 8:00am.
The most expensive is WestConnex which carries a capped maximum fee of $12.25 for cars and $36.75 for heavy vehicles.
Drivers are required to place an eTag responder on the windscreen of their vehicles which are connected to a credit card or loaded with a pre-paid amount.
Alternatively, if they do not have an eTag, drivers can purchase a visitor pass or have a certain amount of time to pay their tolls after they’ve driven on the road. Tolls can be paid via phone, through an app, online, or in person.
The rebate is available for drivers that spend between $60 and $400 per week on tolls in NSW and it’s easy to make a claim via the Service NSW site.
Simply connect your toll account with your MyService NSW account and make a claim once a quarter.
Read more: Toll relief | Service NSW
Toll roads have been around for centuries – Australia’s first toll road opened way back in 1811 between Sydney and Parramatta – but it was in the 1990s, when toll roads started to be privatised, that they really took off in our capital cities.
Simply put, a toll road is a road, or a section of road, that requires motorists to pay a fee to use. In return for the fee, toll roads promise faster travel times and also claim to reduce traffic congestion. In reality, however, most toll roads have struggled to hit their traffic targets with those involving tunnels more likely to suffer congestion issues.
Toll roads also provide a safety benefit as they tend to include fewer potential hazards, provide greater visibility for drivers, and include higher quality road surfaces.
Just as Woolworths and Coles dominate Australia’s supermarket industry, there is a clear lack of competition when it comes to toll-road operators in our country. One company, Transurban, owns or partially owns 18 of Australia’s 22 toll roads.
Most of Australia’s toll roads are in Sydney where motorists spend upwards of $2 billion a year, or an average of $82.78 per week, to use a network that spans just over 150km.
Over the 2023-24 financial year, Transurban recorded 3.283 billion in revenue from toll roads in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, a significant increase over the 2.437 billion recorded in 2022-23.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the amounts involved – recent modelling shows Sydney drivers will spend $195 billion on toll roads between now and 2060 - toll roads are a controversial topic. So much so that in 2024 the NSW government conducted an independent review into high usage costs, inconsistent pricing, and a shortfall in predicted congestion relief.
The same review also surveyed 1500 Sydney drivers and found 87 per cent thought toll charges were too high, while 70 per cent felt they were unfair.
So how much do toll roads in Sydney coast? And do we really need them? Let’s take a look.
How much do toll roads cost in Sydney?
The average Sydney driver spends $82.78 per week on toll charges, according to the Australian Automobile Association’s Affordability Index in June 2023. That means Sydneysiders spend far more on tolls than road users in Melbourne and Brisbane who pay $58.80 and $57.00 respectively.Frustratingly there is no overarching system for toll charges in Sydney. Instead, Sydney’s toll charges are currently calculated in three ways depending on which toll road you use: fixed rate charges, variable time-of-day charges, and distance-based tolls. Your type of vehicle also impacts the fee, with motorbikes, regular cars, and heavy vehicles paying progressively higher charges as the size of the vehicle increases.
The cheapest toll road to use in Sydney is the Harbour Tunnel and Harbour Bridge which carry a fee of $2.67 on weekdays between 7:00pm and 6:30am and weekends from 8:00pm to 8:00am.
The most expensive is WestConnex which carries a capped maximum fee of $12.25 for cars and $36.75 for heavy vehicles.
How do I pay to use toll roads?
The days of paying cash at a toll booth are long gone (Australia’s last cash toll booth was on the M5 South West motorway and closed in 2013), with fees now calculated by overhead gantries that use number plate and eTag recognition software.Drivers are required to place an eTag responder on the windscreen of their vehicles which are connected to a credit card or loaded with a pre-paid amount.
Alternatively, if they do not have an eTag, drivers can purchase a visitor pass or have a certain amount of time to pay their tolls after they’ve driven on the road. Tolls can be paid via phone, through an app, online, or in person.
What about toll relief?
To help ease the financial burden for regular toll road users, eligible motorists can claim back 40 per cent of their fees via a NSW rebate scheme.The rebate is available for drivers that spend between $60 and $400 per week on tolls in NSW and it’s easy to make a claim via the Service NSW site.
Simply connect your toll account with your MyService NSW account and make a claim once a quarter.
Read more: Toll relief | Service NSW
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