Everything used to be cheaper in the past, and crossing the Tamar Bridge is no exception. Where it now costs between £2.60 and £14.30 for various vehicles to make their way from Cornwall into Plymouth, at one point in 1970, the fare cost just 10p.
Visitors, tourists, and commuters traveling between Devon and Cornwall have likely scrambled for change to pay the toll at some point or another. People paying by cash, without using the pre-paid toll system, saw prices increase from January 2023 from £2 a crossing to £2.60 - and it could be set to rise.
Tamar Crossings, who operate the Torpoint Ferry and the Tamar Bridge, say they are facing a significant and growing financial deficit unless there is intervention to increase income. Neither Cornwall Council or Plymouth City Council is in a position to fund a deficit and there is currently no prospect of support from Government, although the Joint Committee and the two Councils are continuing to actively lobby for that support. Now a consultation has been launched and the results will be revealed later this month.
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But going back 30-years, the price of a crossing into Plymouth would have cost less than £1. Back when the bridge opened, in 1961, a pound would have been an unfathomable amount for the journey across counties.
Before 1961, residents living either side of the bridge would have used a ferry to make the journey between counties - that is, if driving eight miles around to the nearest crossing at Gunnislake was out of the question. A ferry has been documented at the crossing from as early as the Norman conquest of England, but residents might be more familiar with the modern revival of the Saltash Ferry, which came into use in 1850.
A plaque at the waterside in Saltash celebrates over 700 years of ferry crossings between those living on either side of the bridge, and modern ferry system - known as a steam bridge when it was first introduced - was in use for over 100 years before a funeral service was held for the reliable old boat in 1961.
The ferry was replaced by the Tamar Bridge in 1961, and the last crossing ever made was at 11.15pm on 23 October 1961, and the bridge opened for business the following day. It was built to allow for the increase in traffic between Plymouth and Cornwall - drivers were getting frustrated at being crammed onto a ferry to make the journey.
On 24 October, crossing the bridge cost three shillings or, £3.68 for a single journey according to the This is Money historical inflation calculator. These historical prices were given to PlymouthLive by Bridging the Tamar Visitor and Learning Centre.
As the years progressed, it grew less expensive to cross the bridge, costing two shillings and 9p in 1963, then dropping to just two shillings in 1964. This was still for a single journey which was charged both ways, as tolls didn't begin charging only for exit out of Cornwall until 1979.
The voucher book pictured here shows the price of a motorcycle crossing the bridge, which was charged at just 2p - the book offers the user 20 vouchers at 2p each. There is no year dated on the vouchers, and it is hard to pinpoint exactly when they would have been used, but given the pence is denoted with a 'p', rather than a 'd', it is likely sometime after 1971 and the decimalisation of British currency.
When the manner of currency changed in 1971, cars were charged 10p for each crossing - costing around £1.50 in today's money. This is not dissimilar from the current pricing of the Tamar bridge, though would work out as more expensive as a return journey would have been needed. It is significantly cheaper now to ride a motorbike over the bridge, costing nothing at all nowadays.
In 1977 tolls went up to 15p for a single journey and, merely two years later, appeared to double to 30p. This was when charging for just the eastward journey was first introduced, so travelers paid the same as they were, just in a lump sum. It wasn't until 1982 the price did go up, to 40p.
On 13 April 1994, the price rocketed to £1, before remaining there till 2009, when it was bumped up again to £1.50. In 2019 it rose to £2 and was increased again in January 2023, to £2.60.
