Back in January 2024, the NSW Government introduced a new measure to cap toll fees at $60 per week – helping motorists based in Sydney’s most toll-heavy suburbs to save money on their commutes. Initially, the toll cap was introduced as a temporary measure, but in huge news for drivers, the toll cap has just been made permanent – putting hundreds of thousands of dollars back into the bank accounts of road-trawling Sydneysiders.
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In an effort to help make Sydney more of an equal-opportunity city, the policy is aimed squarely at commuters in car-dependent suburbs of Western Sydney and the Central Coast, where public transport options are thin but toll bills are sky-high. Since the cap’s introduction, more than 680,000 claims have been lodged, returning a mega $211.4 million to motorists. In terms of reimbursements, Blacktown leads the pack – with more than $3.5 million already put back in the pockets of 9,400 drivers. With Western Sydney suburbs the main beneficiaries, Blacktown is followed closely by Baulkham Hills ($3.2 million) and Auburn ($3.1 million).
Wondering how it works? The toll cap is designed to ensure that no motorist pays more than $60 a week on the city’s toll road network, meaning commuters who were previously bleeding money on daily trips now have a ceiling on their spending. It’s a measure that corrects a long-standing inequity: Western Sydney drivers were for years paying in both directions on all their motorways, while tolls on the Harbour Bridge and Tunnel (connecting more affluent corners of the city) were one-way and barely increased between 2009 and 2023.
The numbers speak for themselves. Across Greater Sydney, suburbs like Merrylands, Marsden Park, Quakers Hill, Lakemba and Kellyville have seen millions returned to their residents – money that otherwise would have been drained from household bank accounts.
To keep the system sustainable, the government plans to introduce two-way tolling on the Harbour Bridge and Tunnel when the Western Harbour Tunnel opens in late 2028, with the extra revenue funnelled back into the toll cap. Meanwhile, ongoing negotiations with private toll road operators are set to eliminate administration fees on toll notices from mid-2026 – a move that will save motorists millions each year and spare them the frustration of multiple fees piling up in the mail.
NSW Motorways’ Acting CEO Camilla Drover said the reforms are part of a broader effort to reorient Sydney’s tolling system around the motorist. “We are working closely with concessionaires to drive a better deal for motorists across Sydney and have secured agreement on reforms to rebuild and restore public confidence in the system,” she said.
You can learn more about the $60 toll cap (and how to claim your reimbursement when the time is right) over here.
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