Toll plaza revenue has changed as a result of the FASTag system's new annual-pass program for private non-commercial vehicles. To facilitate seamless collections and rectify deficiencies, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) have introduced a compensation portal.
Why is the portal required?
When the yearly pass program for private vehicles, jeeps, and vans was introduced on August 15, 2025, some toll collection organisations warned that the lower per-trip toll deduction might result in a decline in revenue. For the "difference in user fee collections" resulting from the yearly pass rollout, NHAI has provided three months' reimbursement to user-fee collection agents in a circular.
Key information about the annual pass
Only private, non-commercial vehicles (cars, vans, and jeeps) are eligible for the pass.
It costs ₹3,000 and covers up to 200 toll-plaza visits or one-year trips, whichever comes first.
Not all state highways or privately run toll plazas are covered by it; it only applies to toll plazas on National Highways (NH) and National Expressways (NE) under NHAI/MoRTH.
Online activation is done by connecting to the vehicle's current FASTag using the "Rajmarg Yatra" app or the NHAI website.
What the compensation portal will accomplish
The portal seeks to:
Permit toll-collection organizations to file claims for the amount that was not covered by the annual pass program.
Make sure that the income impact across plazas is transparently monitored.
As part of the SOP for income sharing, assign specialised personnel to negotiate agreements with concessionaires formally.
Early outcomes and uptake
Approximately 5.67 crore toll transactions have used the yearly pass in the last two months, and over 2.5 million users have already subscribed since its inception.
This points to the active use of the pass, but it also highlights how crucial it is to make sure toll operators receive just compensation throughout the transitional period.
What travelers and operators should know about this
The yearly pass provides predictability and convenience for private car drivers who use the route frequently: a single payment rather than multiple top-ups. To help them adapt to the new income model, operators receive a short-term buffer through the compensation portal.
In the medium term, the system aims to digitise processes, streamline operations, and simplify toll collections.
Looking to the future
After three months, the compensation mechanism will be discontinued once the new standards stabilise, and future contract bids will consider the annual-pass usage statistics. The portal will be essential to making sure that toll plazas under the national network easily switch to the new model when usage trends change.
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