How Bridge, Tunnel and Motorway Tolls Show Up in Your Transfer Price

Looking at a transfer price in Istanbul, most people wonder the same things: is the bridge toll included? Who pays the motorway toll? Will I need to hand the driver extra money? This article explains how tolls appear in your TristGo price, how the route you pick changes the amount, and the two ways you can pay motorway tolls, with real examples.

Two separate items: crossings and motorways

Our booking system splits toll roads into two groups:

• Bridge and tunnel crossings: the three Bosphorus bridges, the Eurasia Tunnel, and the Osmangazi Bridge over the Gulf of İzmit.
• Motorway tolls: the tolled sections of motorways such as the Northern Marmara Motorway, the Anatolian Motorway, the European-side TEM and the Istanbul–İzmir Motorway.

The two groups are handled differently.

Bridge and tunnel fees are included in the price

If your route uses a bridge or the tunnel, the crossing fee is added to your price and shown as its own line in the breakdown. It is not affected by multipliers such as the night rate or vehicle type; the fee is added as it is. You do not pay the driver anything extra for crossings.

The current crossing fees in our system are approximately (as of 2026; updated when tariffs change):

• 15 July Martyrs Bridge: about 75 TL
• Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge: about 75 TL
• Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge: about 145 TL
• Eurasia Tunnel: about 495 TL
• Osmangazi Bridge: about 1,870 TL

Our bridge or tunnel guide covers which crossing suits which neighborhood.

Motorway tolls: an estimate and two options

If your route uses a tolled motorway section, the price step shows it under "Motorway tolls (estimated)", with the section name and the approximate amount. This is an estimate based on the motorway sections and tariffs set up in our system.

You then choose how to pay:

• Pay the estimated toll now: the default. The estimated motorway toll is added to your price and paid online with the rest. You do not pay the driver any toll during the trip.
• Pay the toll to the driver during the trip: the motorway toll is taken out of your price. The screen shows the estimated amount to pay the driver, and you hand it over during the journey.

Your choice appears in your booking confirmation and your driver knows it too. If you chose "pay now", the driver will not ask you for tolls; if you chose "pay the driver", they will collect the estimated amount during the trip.

HGS: no cash on Turkish toll roads

Bridges, the tunnel and motorway toll plazas in Turkey are cashless. The toll is charged automatically to the vehicle's HGS tag; nobody stops to pay at a booth. So "pay the driver" does not mean you pay at the toll plaza. The toll is still charged to the vehicle, and you give that amount to your driver.

How the route you pick changes the amount

When you book, up to three route options from Google Routes are listed, fastest first. Each card shows the distance, estimated duration, a map, and the crossing and motorway tolls separately. Between the same two points, tolls can differ a lot depending on the route. A few real examples (approximate amounts calculated by our system, as of 2026):

Sultanahmet to Sabiha Gökçen

• Via the Eurasia Tunnel: about 44 km. Tunnel about 495 TL, plus the Anatolian Motorway Çamlıca–Kurtköy section about 56 TL.
• Via the 15 July Martyrs Bridge: about 51 km. Bridge about 75 TL, plus the same motorway section about 56 TL.

In normal traffic the tunnel route is quicker but the crossing costs more. Which one makes sense depends on the traffic at that hour and on your priorities.

Istanbul Airport to Sabiha Gökçen

• Via the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and Northern Marmara Motorway: bridge about 145 TL, motorway about 845 TL, around 990 TL in total.
• Via the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge: bridge about 75 TL, motorway about 56 TL, around 131 TL in total.

The gap is large, but in the evening so is the difference in drive time. See the hour-by-hour comparison in our Istanbul Airport to Sabiha Gökçen transfer guide.

Kadıköy to Bursa

• Osmangazi Bridge about 1,870 TL.
• Motorway sections (Çamlıca–Kurtköy, Kurtköy–Gebze, Altınova–Bursa North) about 705 TL in total.

On this trip the bridge toll is included in the price, and you choose "pay now" or "pay the driver" for the roughly 705 TL of motorway tolls. For the route and a day-trip plan, see our Istanbul to Bursa transfer guide.

Reading the price breakdown

The breakdown on the price step shows where the total comes from. First comes the transport fare, calculated from the distance. If your route uses a bridge or the tunnel, each one adds its own "Toll" line. Motorway sections are listed under their own heading, with the section name and estimated amount. At the bottom is the total for the payment option you chose: with "pay now" it includes the motorway tolls; with "pay the driver" it excludes them, and the estimated amount to hand the driver is shown separately.

When you switch routes, the whole breakdown updates to match. That lets you compare two options side by side not only on time but also on crossing and motorway tolls.

Each direction is priced separately

Every booking covers one direction. If you are going and coming back between the same two points, you make two separate bookings, and each one's tolls are calculated on the route for that direction. Pick different routes each way and the amounts can differ too.

When there are no tolls at all

Not every trip has tolls. The fastest route from the central European-side districts to Istanbul Airport, for example, often has no bridge or motorway toll, and the card simply says "No toll crossing". If an alternative route for the same trip uses a tolled motorway section, that option's card shows the fee separately.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pay the bridge toll to the driver too?

No. "Pay the driver" applies only to motorway tolls. Bridge and tunnel fees are included in the price either way.

Does the night rate or a larger vehicle increase the tolls?

No. Crossing and motorway tolls are added as separate items, without multipliers.

Is the motorway toll on screen exact?

It is an estimate, calculated from the motorway sections and current tariffs set up in our system.

Why are the amounts in this article "approximate"?

Bridge, tunnel and motorway tariffs can change during the year. The amounts in our system are updated when they do; the figures in this article are those valid as of 2026. The booking screen always shows the current amount.

See the price with its route

Enter where you are going on the booking page, see each route option with its bridge and motorway tolls, choose how to pay, and book online.