The General Directorate of Highways (KGM) has announced an increase in toll fees for bridges and highways effective from today.
The percentage of the increase ranges between 39% and 41%, marking the second significant adjustment in toll fees within the past three months.
For passenger cars, toll fees for the most used bridges, the Bosphorus Bridge, formally known as the July 15 Martyrs Bridge, and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge rose from 24 to 33 liras.
The fee rose from 49 to 70 liras for the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the third bridge over the Bosphorus, 419 to 585 liras for the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge over the Dardanelles Strait, and 399 to 555 liras for the Osmangazi Bridge.
The decision to raise toll fees comes as the government seeks to boost revenue amid economic challenges. Notably, the Boğaziçi Bridge has been collecting tolls in one direction since its opening in 1973, and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge followed the same practice since its inauguration in 1988. However, starting in 2024, the government has implemented two-way tolls. As a result, many İstanbulites who commute between different sides of the city in their private cars now face the need to pay these fees twice daily. (VK)
