Within just three months of its launch, the FASTag Annual Pass has become increasingly popular among regular highway travelers across the country. Recent data released by the Reserve Bank of India shows that this pass now contributes approximately 11 percent of total monthly trips on national highways. This clearly indicates that frequent highway travelers are adopting this facility as a preferable option.
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What does the FASTag Annual Pass offer?
The government introduced this annual pass on August 15th, priced at ₹3,000. With this pass, users can avail 200 highway trips throughout the year. Each trip costs an average of ₹15, which is significantly lower than the standard FASTag toll fee. This is why this scheme is proving to be an attractive deal for regular travelers.
Usage Gains Pace in October and November
In October, approximately 43.3 million trips were recorded using the FASTag Annual Pass, compared to 36.09 million trips using the regular FASTag. Thus, the annual pass’s share of total trips in October was approximately 11 percent. Its daily share increased to 12 percent in the first 12 days of November. During October, an average of 1.4 million trips were made using this pass daily, while in November, this figure rose to approximately 1.6 million. This increase indicates its continued growth in usage.
Visible Impact on Toll Collection
The rapid adoption of annual passes is having a direct impact on toll collection. While the average daily toll collection was ₹227 crore in August, it declined to ₹215 crore in October. Since annual passes are significantly cheaper than regular FASTag tolls, total collections are declining. Experts believe that the expansion of this pass may be limited in the future, as it is only available to private cars, while taxis and commercial vehicles do not benefit from it.
Despite the festive season, collections declined despite the festival season
Despite the increased traffic during the festive season, total toll collections in October were ₹6,685 crore, lower than the ₹7,053 crore in August. Collections also declined due to lower traffic during holidays and weekends. However, there are signs of improvement in both traffic and collections in the first half of November.
Why was the FASTag Annual Pass introduced?
The government introduced this annual pass specifically for travelers who frequently travel on highways. This pass allows them to make a one-time payment for a year, eliminating the need to pay toll every year. This also eliminates the need for recharges, making travel significantly cheaper. With FASTag mandatory at almost all toll plazas across the country, this pass offers both convenience and savings for highway travelers.