Mark the Date! Payment System at Toll Booths Set to Change from April 10; Government Takes Major Decision

Cash payments at toll plazas: The NHAI and the Ministry of Road Transport have taken this decision to eliminate long queues at toll booths and to make highway travel significantly smoother.

Cash payments at toll plazas: If you are someone who frequently travels on highways, then this news is specifically for you. The government has, in fact, introduced a major change for highway users.

Under this initiative, a decision has been taken to completely discontinue cash transactions at toll plazas starting April 10. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Ministry of Road Transport have implemented this measure to put an end to long queues at toll booths and to facilitate easier travel on highways.

FASTag is Mandatory

With this change, toll payments on National Highways will become entirely digital. As part of this historic step, it is now mandatory for all vehicles to possess a FASTag in order to pass through toll plazas. Consequently, as soon as your vehicle passes through a toll lane, sensors will deduct the applicable amount directly from your linked bank account or digital wallet using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. If, for any reason, you do not have a FASTag, you may still make payments via UPI. However, making a payment through UPI will incur a charge of 1.25 times (or 25% higher than) the standard toll fee.

Officials have also issued a warning stating that, in accordance with existing regulations, vehicles without a valid payment method may be denied entry to the highway or removed from it. This decision is part of a broader effort by the National Highways Authority of India to transition toward a fully electronic toll collection system.

The Government’s Future Plan

For the near future, the government is also in the process of implementing GPS-based and ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) systems. Under these systems, cameras will scan your vehicle’s number plate and deduct the toll amount based on the actual distance traveled. Once this entire system is fully operational, the need to stop at toll gates will be completely eliminated. Concurrently, the government is also addressing the issue of the misuse of toll exemptions or waivers. Drivers will no longer be required to present their ID cards at toll booths. Instead, those entitled to exemptions will need to possess ‘Exempted FASTags.’ Others may opt for an annual FASTag pass priced at ₹3,075, which allows private cars to pass through up to 200 toll plazas.

Furthermore, authorities may issue an e-notice in cases where toll fees remain unpaid. Failure to clear the outstanding dues within three days may result in a penalty amounting to double the applicable toll fee.