Aussie goes on wild road toll rant, as drivers admit to avoiding payments

Aussies have revealed the shocking amount of money they owe, and why many plan on never paying their mounting bills.

Aussies have revealed the shocking amount of money they owe in tolls, with many having no plans to ever pay their mounting bills.

The debate about toll roads kicked off when 28-year-old TikToker, RazGhetto, made a video asking whether Sydney drivers actually pay toll fees.

“If you’re from Sydney let me ask you one thing. Do you pay tolls or do you not pay tolls?” he asked, adding that he has heard a lot of people claiming they didn’t pay the fees and “nothing happened”.

He noted that whenever he forgets to pay a toll bill, he receives a letter warning him he could lose his licence, which he labelled a “scare tactic”.

“I only really use (toll roads) on the weekends. Last month alone it was almost $300 I had to pay just from going here, there and where ever on the weekends. It’s a lot of money when you look at it,” he said.

“I am f**king over this bro. We are the most tolled city on f**king earth man.”

He said the worst thing about Sydney was the constant traffic and the tolls.

The TikToker asked whether there were drivers out there who don’t pay their tolls. Picture: RazGhetto/TikTok

He said he was ‘over’ having to pay. Picture: RazGhetto/TikTok

The TikTok creator was far from the only Aussie fed up with the number of toll roads across the country, with multiple drivers admitting they have stopped paying the fees altogether.

“Im in Sydney. I don't pay tolls. Never had my licence or rego cancelled nor has it affected my credit,” one commenter claimed

“I haven’t paid tolls in over 10 years. Still have my license, still renew my rego, credit rating the same. Don’t let them scare you,” another said.

Others went into detail about just how high their bills have gotten, with one person claiming she owed $15,000 in tolls, another claiming they had a bill for $32,000 and one commenter claiming to owe a whopping $47,000.

However, there were a number of people warning against ignoring toll fees, revealing not paying the bills could lead to serious consequences.

“I’ve had my license suspended and fines on top for not paying tolls,” one person warned.

Another added: “I was one that never paid tolls then I got a letter saying my license is suspended until I paid the bill toll and it was $37k so I called them and we came to an agreement to pay upfront for $27k.”

Another creator revealed they were slugged with an admin fee that cost more than the toll amount. Picture: adrianwidjy/TikTok

The total bill came to over $17. Picture: adrianwidjy/TikTok

One person questioned why someone would “run the risk” of not paying, claiming they just shouldn’t use the toll roads if they don’t want to pay the fee.

The majority of Sydney’s toll roads are owned by road operator Transurban, with the company now owning all of part of the M2, the M4, the M5 South West, the M5 East, the M7, the M8, the Lane Cove Tunnel, the Cross City Tunnel, the Eastern Distributor, NorthConnex and WestConnex.

Toll roads in NSW are cashless, with fees either being fixed or varying depending on the time of day you travel, how far you travel and the class of vehicle you’re driving.

Drivers can set up up and electronic tag account to pay toll fees as they use them. Those who don’t have a tag or pass will be issued a notice for the toll fee plus additional administrative costs.

If a final toll notice is not paid by the due date, a penalty notice may be sent to the registered operator of the vehicle, with the fine for non-payment exceeding $190.

If the penalty notice is not paid, then a driver’s licence or registration may be cancelled.

Last year, modelling released by Labor revealed Sydney motorists will pay at least $123 billion in road tolls by 2060.

The modelling by NSW Treasury and Transport for NSW released in November 2023 by the Minns government revealed for the first time what the total toll burden will be over the coming four decades before existing contracts expire, Roads Minister John Graham and Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said in a joint statement.

“I said before we came to government that toll costs should not be kept hidden. As of today, they are no longer a state secret,” Mr Graham said.

“You can’t even get a mobile phone contract without being told the minimum payment and yet NSW motorists have been signed up to more than $100 billion in toll costs without any disclosure under the former Coalition government.

“A 30 year-old driver today will reach retirement age before some existing toll contracts expire, which is why it is critical we let the light shine in here and debate the merits and the long-term costs of how our tolling system is structured.”

Originally published as Aussie goes on wild road toll rant, as drivers admit to avoiding payments