Rama Krishna Sangem
The Centre has brought in a new prepaid Fastag pass from August 15 this year. All those who pass through the national highways can use by paying Rs 3,000 per year or up to 200 trips in a year, whichever is earlier. This is good for the Centre as it gets advance toll tax from road travelers and fills exchequer. For road users, it is a sort of burden, as they will have to pay up for one full year or next 199 toll plaza entries in advance.
Currently, commuters who frequently pass through a toll plaza can obtain a monthly pass by submitting their relevant documents. The monthly pass is made available for ₹340 a month, totalling ₹4,080 annually. But, if we calculate the interest on Rs 3,000 paid in advance, the advantage to the commuter is negligible.
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday announced the introduction of a FASTag-based annual pass. In a post on X, Gadkari said the pass, which will be priced at ₹3,000, is being introduced to promote hassle-free highway travel and will come into effect starting August 15.
The minister said the pass will be valid for a year from the date of activation or up to 200 trips, whichever comes first. The pass has been designed exclusively for non-commercial private vehicles such as cars, jeeps, and vans, the minister added.
Gadkari said the annual pass aims to ensure seamless and cost-effective travel across national highways throughout the country and aims to address long-standing concerns related to toll plazas that are located within a 60 km range. It will simplify toll payments via a single, affordable transaction.
Download Rajmarg App for FASTag pass
The annual pass aims to deliver a faster and smoother travel experience for millions of private vehicle owners by minimising wait times, easing congestion, and bringing down disputes at toll plazas, the minister stated.
The annual pass will be made available through the Rajmarg Yatra mobile application and on the official websites of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). A dedicated link for its activation and renewal will soon be rolled out for the users ahead of its launch.
Earlier this year, Gadkari hinted at developing plans for car owner passes. Earlier, in February this year, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) clarified that the new norms for FASTag transactions will not impact the experience of the users on highway toll plazas.
The clarification was issued after the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), an umbrella organisation for operating retail payments and settlement systems, introduced a new regulation with regard to delayed transactions due to inactive FASTags at toll plazas. The rules came into effect on February 17.
