FASTag annual pass sees demand, commuters seek wider coverage and inclusion of commercial vehicles

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The FASTag-based yearly pass, rolled retired past month, is gaining popularity among motorists, peculiarly those who question often on highways specified arsenic the Bengaluru–Mysuru. Many car owners accidental the caller strategy has helped chopped down their question costs substantially. At the aforesaid time, a increasing fig of commuters is urging that the strategy beryllium extended to privately-managed toll roads similar NICE Road, which witnesses dense vehicular movement.

Introduced nationwide connected August 15, 2025, the FASTag Annual Pass was designed by the Union authorities to easiness the load of predominant travellers connected nationalist highways. Under this scheme, owners of non-commercial vehicles specified arsenic cars, jeeps, and vans tin acquisition an yearly walk for ₹3,000. The walk is valid for 200 toll transactions oregon 1 year, whichever comes first, and is recognised crossed each National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) toll plazas.

The walk tin beryllium purchased done the Rajmargyatra App oregon the NHAI website, and erstwhile the one-time outgo is made, it becomes progressive wrong 2 hours. Officials from NHAI accidental the strategy has been framed to supply a seamless, cashless, and economical alternate for backstage motorists, eliminating the request to recharge FASTag balances repeatedly.

Motorists telephone it crippled changer

For motorists who often commute agelong distances, the caller strategy is proving to beryllium a important outgo saver.

Bala Subramanya, a nonmigratory of Kengeri, said, “I person been utilizing the FASTag Annual Pass for a fewer weeks present done the Rajmargyatra App, and honestly, it feels revolutionary for those of america who thrust agelong distances. I paid ₹3,000, and it works crossed NHAI tolls but not connected backstage roads. The app besides provides a way representation that shows which toll plazas are included,” helium explained.

Sharing his experience, helium said, “I precocious drove from Kochi to Bengaluru, a travel that usually costs maine astir ₹800 to ₹850 successful tolls for astir 10 plazas. This time, my FASTag equilibrium wasn’t touched due to the fact that each those tolls were covered by the pass. That’s ₹1,600 saved connected conscionable 1 circular trip. With the 200-toll cap, I tin easy marque 10 specified trips, which works retired to ₹16,000 worthy of tolls for lone ₹3,000. For me, that’s an yearly redeeming of astir ₹13,000.”

Another regular commuter, Krishna Kumar from Jayanagar, said the strategy has been peculiarly beneficial for his predominant journeys betwixt Bengaluru and Mysuru. “The toll for 1 broadside of the Bengaluru–Mysuru road is astir ₹360. A instrumentality travel costs astir ₹720. If you bash conscionable 5 specified trips successful a year, the yearly walk already pays for itself. It’s large for radical similar maine who shuttle betwixt the 2 cities often,” helium said.

However, helium suggested that the strategy could beryllium much flexible. “It would beryllium amended if the yearly walk allowed sharing betwixt aggregate vehicles owned by the aforesaid family. He besides suggested that this strategy beryllium extended to roads similar NICE Road, privately owned, wherever galore commute astir everyday.

According to NHAI officials, the yearly walk was crafted aft reviewing question patterns crossed the country. “The ₹3,000 one-time outgo is aimed astatine making nationalist road usage much affordable for backstage conveyance owners. The 200-toll headdress ensures just usage portion offering important savings. The walk is exclusively for non-commercial vehicles,” said a elder official.

Demand parity

While car owners are welcoming the scheme, commercialized conveyance operators are expressing disappointment astatine being near out. Associations representing taxis, cabs, tourer buses, trucks, and goods carriers reason that they usage highways acold much extensively and truthful merit adjacent consideration.

“Private vehicles usually deed the highways lone for long-distance journeys. But commercialized vehicles, whether a truck, intercity cab, oregon tourer coach, are connected highways daily, covering hundreds of kilometres and passing done dozens of tolls. If the purpose of this inaugural is to supply fiscal relief, past commercialized users should beryllium the archetypal to benefit,” said Radhakrishna Holla, president of the Karnataka State Travel Operators Association (KSTOA).

The relation has already submitted a practice to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, seeking the hold of the strategy to commercialized fleets.

“Taxi drivers, autobus operators, and freight carriers collectively walk lakhs of rupees annually connected tolls. Even a azygous cab relation pays much than ₹30,000 each year. A concessional bundle similar this could importantly easiness their fiscal load astatine a clip erstwhile substance and conveyance attraction costs are rising sharply,” Mr. Holla told The Hindu.