Sydney $60 Toll Cap To Stay, Supported By New Harbour Bridge Fee

The New South Wales government is making the $60 weekly toll cap on Sydney’s roads permanent, and the Harbour Bridge two-way tolling plan is set to help fund it. 

Introduced in early 2024, the scheme lets drivers claim relief from the government of up to $340 a week after spending $60 per vehicle. It was initially temporary and due to expire at the end of this year.

On Tuesday, the Premier, Chris Minns, told 2GB radio that it would be made permanent.

“We’re going to keep it. We can’t get rid of it. It’s a massive cost-of-living relief measure for literally hundreds of thousands of people who live in western Sydney,” he said.

Minns added that the $60-a-week toll cap is needed to prevent the inconvenience of people paying full market rates for using toll roads. 

NSW Motorway, a new agency funded and maintained through tolling agreements, was recently established. The government is continuing negotiations with Transurban to make Sydney’s toll roads work under a single, consistent tolling system.

“It’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but we think it’s the fairest thing to do when you consider that a lot of the communities that will use the Harbour Bridge have access to public transport,” the Premier said.

Two-way tolling essential to fund $60 weekly cap on tolls

To keep the cap permanent, the government is considering two-way tolling on state-owned assets — the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Tunnel, the soon-to-be-completed Western Harbour Tunnel, and the new M6 motorway.

Minns added that two-way tolling on state-owned toll roads is estimated to begin as soon as the Western Harbour Tunnel is complete, which is scheduled for 2028. 

“Many communities in western Sydney and the Central Coast just don’t have anything like that,” he said.

“We want people using the toll roads,” the Premier said. “That’s why they were built as an effective option.”

Minns said the cap is costing the government about $200m a year, with $561m allocated over two years. Even so, motorists lost access to about $100m in unclaimed rebates in June.