The government has drastically reduced toll rates by up to 50 per cent on sections of the National Highway where special structures such as tunnels, bridges, flyovers, or elevated roads have been built. This move will directly reduce the travel cost for drivers. User charges are collected at toll plazas on National Highways as per the National Highway Fee Rules, 2008. Now, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has amended the 2008 rules and notified a new method or formula for calculating toll prices. This change will make the journey more economical for you.
What does the new notification say
According to this important notification issued on Wednesday, a new and more equitable formula has been introduced for calculating the toll rate. Now the toll rate will be determined as follows:
“The toll rate for the use of such section or sections of a national highway containing structures shall be calculated by adding ten times the length of the structure or structures to the length of the section of the national highway excluding the length of the structure or structures or five times the total length of the section of the national highway, whichever is less.”
In this, ‘structure’ means an independent bridge, tunnel, flyover, or elevated highway. Earlier, commuters had to pay ten times the normal toll for every kilometre of structure on a national highway. This new formula will bring great relief to commuters as it makes toll calculation more practical.
Existing rules vs new rules
A senior official of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said that the current formula for toll calculation was made with the aim of compensating for the high construction cost of such infrastructure projects. But, in the revised notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the toll rate has been reduced by 50 per cent for stretches like flyovers, underpasses, and tunnels.
Old rule
Travelers used to pay ten times the regular toll per kilometer on the National Highway. For example, if the normal toll on a one-kilometer tunnel is ₹ 10, then the traveller had to pay ₹ 100.
New rule
Now, a new formula will be applicable for calculating the toll, which will directly reduce the toll rate by 50%. This will bring huge savings, especially for those travelers who frequently use routes with such special structures.
This change will help make road travel more accessible and economically affordable across the country.
FASTag annual pass is starting from next month
Let us tell you that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is also going to issue a FASTag Annual Pass for vehicles passing through the National Highway. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced that the FASTag annual pass will be effective from August 15, 2025.
The price of this pass will be ₹ 3000.
This pass will help you save at least ₹7000 in a year.
This FASTag annual pass will be valid only for National Highways.
The Union Minister said that this pass will be valid for one year or 200 trips (whichever is earlier) from the date of issue.
This annual pass is a great option for those who regularly travel on National Highways. It will save them from the hassle of stopping at toll plazas and will also provide huge savings in annual toll expenses.