Avoiding Tolls in Western Sydney: A Real 12-Stop Test
We ran MiliRoute on the same 12 Western Sydney stops twice, once with tolls allowed and once with tolls avoided. Avoiding tolls made the route 6.1 km shorter but 9.9 minutes slower. (source: our MiliRoute run on 7 November 2026)
Key takeaways
- Tolls allowed: 108.1 km and 156.5 minutes of driving. Tolls avoided: 102.0 km and 166.4 minutes.
- So avoiding tolls was 108.1 − 102.0 = 6.1 km shorter and 166.4 − 156.5 = 9.9 minutes slower. 9.9 ÷ 156.5 = 6% more driving time.
- Avoiding tolls changed the order of the stops, not only the roads between them.
- Either way, the quickest order beat the list order by about half the distance: 213.0 km in list order against 108.1 km (tolls allowed), and 204.0 km against 102.0 km (tolls avoided).
- MiliRoute shows distance and driving time. The toll price depends on the road and your vehicle, so check it yourself.
- This is one test on one day with Google's estimated driving times for average traffic.
What did we test?
- 12 public places across Western Sydney, all railway stations: Blacktown, Fairfield, Granville, Liverpool, Mount Druitt, Parramatta, Penrith, Rooty Hill, Seven Hills, St Marys, Wentworthville and Westmead.
- A neutral list order, alphabetical, with the first place as the start and the last as the end.
- Two settings. MiliRoute's Avoid tolls setting off, then on. Everything else was identical.
- Exact solver. For 10 stops between the start and the end, MiliRoute finds the exact quickest order for the setting you choose.
- One run on 2026-11-07, with the results saved.
What did each route look like?
Tolls allowed (108.1 km, 2 h 37 min):
| Stop | Place | Leg from the stop before | Leg time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (start) | Blacktown Station | ||
| 2 | Seven Hills Station | 3.8 km | 11 min |
| 3 | Penrith Station | 33.2 km | 33 min |
| 4 | St Marys Station | 8.4 km | 14 min |
| 5 | Mount Druitt Station | 6.0 km | 12 min |
| 6 | Rooty Hill Station | 2.3 km | 4 min |
| 7 | Liverpool Station | 28.9 km | 29 min |
| 8 | Fairfield Station | 8.9 km | 15 min |
| 9 | Granville Station | 8.3 km | 16 min |
| 10 | Parramatta Station | 2.3 km | 8 min |
| 11 | Wentworthville Station | 4.5 km | 11 min |
| 12 (end) | Westmead Station | 1.5 km | 3 min |
| Whole route | 108.1 km | 2 h 37 min |
Tolls avoided (102.0 km, 2 h 46 min):
| Stop | Place | Leg from the stop before | Leg time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (start) | Blacktown Station | ||
| 2 | Seven Hills Station | 3.8 km | 11 min |
| 3 | Rooty Hill Station | 12.9 km | 23 min |
| 4 | Mount Druitt Station | 2.3 km | 4 min |
| 5 | St Marys Station | 6.5 km | 11 min |
| 6 | Penrith Station | 11.7 km | 19 min |
| 7 | Liverpool Station | 39.2 km | 45 min |
| 8 | Fairfield Station | 8.9 km | 15 min |
| 9 | Granville Station | 8.3 km | 16 min |
| 10 | Parramatta Station | 2.3 km | 8 min |
| 11 | Wentworthville Station | 4.5 km | 11 min |
| 12 (end) | Westmead Station | 1.5 km | 3 min |
| Whole route | 102.0 km | 2 h 46 min |
(source: our MiliRoute run on 7 November 2026)
Why was the toll-free route shorter but slower?
MiliRoute puts the stops in the order with the shortest total driving time. It does not minimise distance. A route without tolls can cover fewer kilometres and still take longer to drive.
You can see it in the two longest legs of each route:
- Tolls allowed: Seven Hills Station to Penrith Station took 33.2 km and 33 minutes, and Rooty Hill Station to Liverpool Station took 28.9 km and 29 minutes.
- Tolls avoided: Penrith Station to Liverpool Station took 39.2 km and 45 minutes, and Seven Hills Station to Rooty Hill Station took 12.9 km and 23 minutes.
The two routes agree for the first 2 stops and then part ways: with tolls allowed, the quickest order visits Penrith Station next; with tolls avoided, it visits Rooty Hill Station. Rules about roads changed the best order of the whole day.
Is 9.9 minutes worth a toll?
Only you can say. Work it out with two numbers:
- The toll you would pay for your vehicle on the roads involved. Look it up with the toll operator, because it depends on the road, the time and the vehicle.
- What a minute of your time is worth. Divide the toll by 9.9. If that is less than the value of a minute of your time, the toll pays for itself.
This test shows only time and distance, measured on 2026-11-07.
How do you avoid tolls in MiliRoute?
In the Android app, open Profile, then Route Settings, and switch on Avoid tolls. The setting is used the next time you optimize a route. In the web app, open Settings and tick Avoid tolls. If you change it, optimize again so the order is worked out with the new setting.
What does this mean for a Western Sydney courier?
- Compare both settings once. Run your usual area with Avoid tolls on and off and read the two totals. Your own numbers matter more than ours.
- Expect the order to change. The toll setting can reorder your stops, so re-optimize after changing it.
- Plan the area first. See courier route optimization in Sydney and the multi-stop delivery app for NSW.
Questions
Does avoiding tolls always make the route slower?
No. In this test it did, by 9.9 minutes. With other stops or another time of day the result can differ, so test your own run.
Why is the toll-free route shorter?
MiliRoute chooses the quickest order, not the shortest. In this run the toll-avoiding order covered less distance and took more time.
Does MiliRoute show how much the toll costs?
The result shows the distance and driving time for each leg and for the whole route. The toll price depends on the road, the time and your vehicle, so check it with the toll operator.
Can I plan 12 stops on the Free plan?
The Free plan covers routes of up to 10 stops. For 12 you would use Premium, or split the day into two routes. See Free vs Premium.
Sources
- MiliRoute optimizer runs on 2026-11-07: the same 12 public railway stations in Western Sydney, tolls allowed and tolls avoided, Google driving-time estimates for average traffic, exact solver. Results saved.
Last updated 7 November 2026.