Brisbane is a city in Australia, and nearly everyone who lives there will be familiar with the tolls. Indeed, many people commute to Brisbane from surrounding areas every day and use the toll roads for this reason. There are three different companies that operate them:
Sunshine Coast: Sunstate
Gold Coast: Linkt
Gateway Motorway: Transurban
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The Greater Brisbane area can be divided into two parts by taking the Gateway Bridge over the river that runs through it. West of this bridge motorists only has to pay one toll as they go along Western Freeway (M1), which goes around the southeast outskirts of Brisbane all the way up to Ipswich. Those who travel on Inner City Bypass (M3) or use the Airport Link do not have to pay a toll. East of the bridge motorists has to pay for three separate roads: M1, Clem 7, and Airport Link. Different companies operate each one of these areas/roads, but all of them require a toll to be paid by drivers using their road. A few years ago, Transurban tried to build another motorway – Eastern Freeway (M3) – which would have been the first motorway in Brisbane’s history that users wouldn’t have had to pay anything for as it was going go around between the Gateway Bridge and Springwood as part of Transurban’s Citylink plan, but this project was rejected by Queensland Government.
Tolls are also payable on some Brisbane River crossings. Shown below are the tolls for each ‘listed’ bridge, and for some ‘unlisted’ smaller bridges.
There are several ways to pay tolls in Brisbane.
- You can pay with cash at the toll booth or by phone. Or, you can use one of the electronic options. You can also learn more here on Uproad.
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The first option is Sun-Tag, where, after establishing your account online, you can pay electronically via direct debit from your bank account or credit card. This is an ideal option if you live near central Brisbane and commute frequently on toll roads without having to stop at a booth each time to pay for a pass.
- If you don’t want to go through all that hassle of setting up an account and paying with direct debit, then call 13 19 40 and set up a Cash Pass. It allows you to pre-purchase blocks of tolls for particular accounts. Each time you pass a toll booth, the amount is deducted from your Cash Pass balance.
- The third option is Electronic Tag. It works in exactly the same way as Sun-Tag, but it allows you to register more than one vehicle online and set up different tag numbers for each car. Just select the number of axles on your vehicle to avoid incurring fees you don’t have to pay with Sun-Tag or Electronic Tag. Your tag can then be transferred between vehicles easily by logging into your account online.
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For example, if you are driving a truck that has six axles instead of two, select six axles when setting up your Electronic Tag online. If you choose a vehicle that is exempt from toll payments, such as an ambulance or a truck with a small trailer, select the vehicle type when setting up your Electronic Tag account and register for free in this category.
- A fourth option is Auto-Pay , where you set up your credit card to automatically pay tolls when traveling on designated Brisbane toll roads. You can manage Auto-Pay by logging into the Transurban website. This service incurs a monthly fee, but if you’re willing to pay it, then paying for tolls becomes stress-free and straightforward.
- The fifth option is Linkt, which allows you to pay online using an app on your smartphone. The advantage of this option is that you don’t have to remember to bring your pass with you each time you travel or keep it valid. You can even use the app if you move from interstate and want to continue using toll roads in Brisbane.
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- A sixth option is Govia, which is a great way for visitors from out of town to pay tolls when they’re on holiday in Australia’s third-largest city. As well as providing an online service, there are many participating retailers throughout the city where drivers can conveniently purchase a go via Pass. It allows you to pay electronically at all toll roads in Brisbane without having to set up a Sun-Tag account, but it incurs a higher fee than most electronic methods.
- You can pay electronically without stopping at a booth or losing time when you are in a hurry. Many commuters choose the Sun-Tag electronic payment system because it is simple to set up and doesn’t require much effort when traveling to work each day.
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The only downside of this method is that your toll road pass has an expiry date. If you have not used your toll roads in Brisbane for 60 consecutive days, then it will expire. There are ways around paying too many fees if your pass expires. An administrator can call Transurban’s customer service number on 13 19 40, which allows the company to automatically renew the pass until they are satisfied that there are no outstanding conditions.
- After establishing an account it’s easy to purchase your toll road pass online or by phone. You can also sign up for Sun-Tag at a participating retailer after you buy a Sun-Tag Pass from the same retailer. The choice is yours – make sure you make an informed decision before choosing a payment method.
If you want uninterrupted, convenient access to Brisbane’s toll roads each day of the year, then choose a Sun-Tag account and set up automatic payments from your bank account with direct debit. That way, there will be no need to keep track of an expiry date or pay additional fees if your pass expires unexpectedly.
- Make the most of toll roads in Brisbane by utilizing any one of these six methods of electronic payment.
