The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has rolled out a new travel convenience for highway commuters—the FASTag annual pass—and it has already seen an enthusiastic response.
Launched on August 15, the facility allows private vehicle owners to make a one-time payment of Rs 3,000 for an entire year of toll-free travel, or up to 200 toll plaza crossings, across India’s national highways and expressways.
By 7.00 pm on launch day, over 1.4 lakh users had purchased and activated the pass, with nearly as many toll transactions—1.39 lakh—being recorded. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways called the initial response “overwhelming,” citing a strong uptake from regular highway users.
The pass is available exclusively for non-commercial vehicles that are already equipped with valid FASTags. Activation is swift—taking no more than two hours—once payment is completed through either the NHAI website or the RajmargYatra App, which itself saw high traffic, with 20,000–25,000 users online at any given time on launch day.
In an effort to ensure a smooth transition, NHAI has deployed officials and nodal officers at all participating toll plazas—around 1,150 across the country. The authority has also bolstered its 1033 National Highway Helpline, adding over 100 new executives to handle queries and complaints from pass users.
Those who have successfully activated the pass are now receiving SMS alerts showing zero toll deductions at applicable plazas—a sign that the system is functioning as intended.
With FASTag adoption now covering 98 per cent of vehicles and over 8 crore users on board, the annual pass is being seen as a natural next step in the evolution of India’s Electronic Toll Collection system.
The Ministry added that the new system aims to reduce travel costs for frequent highway users while also cutting down congestion and wait times at toll booths, making highway travel smoother and faster for millions.
