Fee rise on Harbour Bridge and Tunnel from July 1 to fund $60 toll cap

The state government will hike the fees levied on drivers to cross Sydney Harbour from July 1. The increase will be used to help to pay for the $60 toll cap. Read how much you’ll pay.

Tolls on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Harbour Tunnel will be increased again, marking the second time Premier Chris Minns has raised tolls on the government-owned roads since taking office.

The Saturday Telegraph can reveal that bridge and tunnel drivers will be slugged more to pay for the Minns government’s $60 toll cap, in a move designed to benefit motorists from Western Sydney.

From July 1, drivers will pay $4.41 to travel southbound across the bridge and tunnel during peak hour – an increase of 14c, or 3.2 per cent.

Under the inflation-linked increases, drivers will pay $3.30 for a non-peak weekday toll and on weekends during the day, and $2.76 to use the roads overnight.

The prices remain far less than that paid by Western Sydney motorists who use private toll roads to travel to and from the CBD.

Transport Minister John Graham said the extra revenue would be funnelled towards the toll cap preventing drivers from paying more than $60 per week in tolls.

Motorists have claimed back more than $100 million in toll rebates since the cap began but, as of this week, almost $144.5 million in rebates was sitting in government coffers yet to be claimed. The cap is still set to end on January 1 2026, although Mr Graham has previously indicated it is likely to be extended.

Signs on the Harbour Bridge alerting drivers of changes to tolls in 2009. Picture: AAP Image

Raising tolls on the Harbour Bridge and Tunnel will raise $3.5 million next financial year.

Roads getting people in and out of Western Sydney are the most commonly used by those claiming toll relief, with tolling data showing WestConnex, the M2 and the M7 at the top of the list.

Suburbs like Blacktown and Baulkham Hills last year became among the first suburbs where residents had claimed more than $1 million in relief.

The toll cap was designed to save Western Sydney motorists money while the government worked to overhaul the tolling network in a bid to make the scheme fairer.

That work has so far yielded no results for motorists, despite costing more than $5 million.

While tolls on privatised roads increase automatically, tolls on the bridge and tunnel are only increased if the government decides to up prices.

The Minns government raised tolls on the bridge and tunnel in October 2023, the first time those prices rose since 2009.

Mr Graham said the government is “focused on delivering a fairer tolling network”.

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