Tolls raised for major bridges and highways across Turkey
The General Directorate of Highways increased toll fees for highways and bridges by 15.78% to 17.58%. The new tariffs went into effect today.
Tolls for the two the most used bridges over İstanbul Strait, Boğaziçi (15 Temmuz Şehitler) and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges, remained unchanged.
This was the second hike of the year, following a 25% raise in early January. This brought the total increase for bridge tolls to 47% in the first half of the year.
MP Aşkın Genç of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) criticized the hikes, arguing that public-private partnership (PPP) projects impose a heavy financial burden on both citizens and the public budget.
Genç said at parliament that under the build-operate-transfer model, citizens do not only pay at the toll booths but also through their taxes due to state-backed traffic guarantees. "This is not transportation; this is a heavy build-operate-transfer bill presented to the citizen," he remarked.
Genç pointed to the substantial increase in the toll for PPP bridges in the last four years. The toll for the Osmangazi Bridge, connecting İzmit and Yalova, which stood at 184.5 liras 2022, has increased by 534% since then. For the Çanakkale Bridge, linking two shores of Dardanelles Strait, the current 1,170-lira toll represents a 485% increase from its opening rate of 200 liras. Following the latest adjustments, a single crossing costs 1,170 liras, while a round trip reaches 2,340 liras.
Çanakkale Bridge opened: Costs to nature and public
Guaranteed payments
The build-operate-transfer model involves the construction of public infrastructure projects by the private sector, which operates them for a specified period before transferring them back to the state. In Turkey, this model stands out as one of the most widely used methods within public-private partnership applications.
Under these projects, the public sector frequently provides the operating company with guarantees for a certain number of vehicle crossings, passengers, or revenue. If the guaranteed numbers or revenue figures are not met, the treasury covers the deficit from the state budget.
Turkey is spending billions of dollars for guaranteed payments in PPP projects
Although these projects initially appear to be funded outside the direct public budget, guarantee payments return to the public sector as an implicit debt and payment burden in subsequent years. The OECD has also emphasized that risks from contingent liabilities in fiscal policy must be closely monitored for Turkey.
Calculations based on the Medium-Term Program (OVP) prepared by the Presidency Strategy and Budget Directorate forecast 328.49 billion liras in current transfers from the highways budget for roads, bridges, and tunnels under the build-operate-transfer scheme between 2025 and 2027. For airports, data from the State Airports Authority (DHMİ) shows that 218.6 million euros were paid to the private sector in 2025 for unmet passenger guarantees under build-operate-transfer projects.
The new and former price tariffs are listed below by facility and vehicle class (1 US dollar = 46.6 Turkish liras):
1915 Çanakkale Bridge
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Class 1 vehicles (automobile): 995 to 1,170 liras.
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Class 2 (minibus): 1,245 to 1,465 liras.
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Class 3 (bus) : 2,240 to 2,635 liras.
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Class 4: 2,490 to 2,925 liras.
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Class 5: 3,755 to 5,560 liras.
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Class 6 (motorcycle): 250 liras to 295 liras.
Osmangazi Bridge
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Class 1:995 to 1,170 liras.
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Class 2: 1,590 to 1,870 liras.
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Class 3: 1,890 to 2,225 liras.
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Class 4: 2,505 to 2,950 liras.
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Class 5: 3,165 to 3,720 liras.
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Class 6 (Motorcycles): 695 to 820 liras.
Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge (3rd Bosphorus bridge)
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Class 1: 95 to 110 liras.
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Class 2: 125 to 145 liras.
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Class 3: 235 to 270 liras.
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Class 4: 595 to 690 liras.
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Class 5: 740 to 860 liras.
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Class 6: 65 to 75 liras.
Eurasia Tunnel
Daytime tariff
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Cars: 280 to 330 liras.
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Minibuses: 420 to 495 liras.
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Motorcycles: 218.40 to 257.40 liras.
Night tariff (50% discounted)
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Cars:140 to 165 liras.
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Minibuses: 210 to 247.50 liras.
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Motorcycles: 109.20 to 128.70 liras.
(HA//VCVK)
